Our life is getting more and more online.  See the diagram below which shows how our interaction to the web is increasing.

Most of us have multiple email and Facebook accounts. More importantly, we maintain much of confidential private data in our email accounts as a backup of files as well as to have the facility to access this data from anywhere. Inspite of using complex passwords, these could be broken into and our data could be exposed to unsavory people.

One could take some extra steps to strengthen this security of accounts. Here are a few methods that I use.

#1. Enable the “Always use HTTPS”  option for Twitter,Facebook and Gmail since they do support secure HTTPS service. If you are accessing  Internet using Wi-Fi then you are even more vulnerable because , without the HTTPS, anybody ( not just hackers) can get hold of your login data by using Firesheep – a simple extension of Firefox.

#2. Google Accounts have  facility where they can use a 2-step verification. Here you can setup an option that if someone tries to login to my account from another computer, I will get a pre-defined code on my mobile as a SMS. Without this code one would not be able to login. I can even setup to get a voice call. This also helps me know that my password has been hacked and someone is trying to get in.

#3.  Similarly, I  can connect my mobile number to my Facebook account. I get a SMS or a email alert if somebody tries to login to my Facebook account from a different computer.

#4.  You should disable access to your account from all unwanted apps. Here are the direct links that will take you to the screen where you can do this for Facebook,  Twitter and Google

#6.  I have two different email addresses. One private and known to select few only. Othe is public which is on my blog and other social sites. Why ?

My public email is linked with the services like  YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare, Flickr, Skype, Posterous & some other social sites. Here I want people to find me and keep my email in their address books.

The other private email is used by me with the services like Amazon, Dropbox, Google Apps, Apple iTunes, my bank, my hosting service, PayPal and other places in which cases  the security of accounts is more critical. Here I do not want to get social.

#7. I have also created another Gmail Account which I only use for temporary online services or logins to get download stuff.  This I give everywhere online to register since I do not use this account for any purpose exceot this.

#8.  I use “virtual credit cards” to shop online. These are prepaid cards and have no physical card. It is especially useful to prevent being billed on a recurring basis since they are prepaid and no account for post paid billing is maintained by Visa & Master card for them.

#9.  I have dozens of passwords for bank accounts, software sites, email accounts, Social sites etc etc.  How do I keep track of them and refer to later ?. I have put them all in a Word file and I keep this uploaded on Dropbox. The Word file itself is Password protected.

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