Tech Tip Tuesday

When setting up answers to common security questions like, "mother's maiden name," purposely provide the wrong answer. Why you might ask? Well if you think about it, this information isn't hard to figure out these days. If you provide an answer that is fictitious, it could be very hard to figure out. Lets say that your mother's maiden name is "smith," then add "er" to the end of the name, spelling "smither." It would be pretty hard for an attacker to figure out this answer. Also, whenever possible, use two factor authentication. Two factor authentication is exactly like it sounds, it provides you with a second layer of authentication before allowing access to a particular account. Passwords are something you know and two factor authentication adds something you have, like a cell phone or access key. Many companies like banks, allow two factor authentication free of charge. Paypal and eBay offer a card that can purchased for a one time fee or you can use your cell phone instead. Security is a slight inconvenience but it's certainly worth it.

Google (Gmail) click below for more information 
http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=180744

Paypal click below for more information 
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin?cmd=xpt/Marketing_CommandDriven/securitycenter/PayPalSecurityKey-outside&bn_r=o

Yahoo click below for more information 
https://edit.yahoo.com/commchannel/sec_chal_manage