Secure Your Wireless Network to Prevent Identity Theft

An August 2008 international identity theft case further reinforces the fact that you need to be extra careful when transmitting information over the Internet, especially if you’re using a wireless network. According to BBC News, identity thieves were able to steal personal information, which resulted in widespread theft of over 40 million account numbers, simply by “driving around neighborhoods and hacking into wireless equipment.”

The first thing you should do in order to prevent this crime from happening to you is secure your wireless network at home, and at the office as well if this is under your jurisdiction, by putting a password on your line so it’s not accessible to anyone and everyone in range. You can easily do this by using Wi-Fi Protected Access, or WPA. If you’re not sure exactly what this is, check out this link to Microsoft to find out more.

Once that’s done, and do it as soon as possible, you can concentrate more on prevention in a less immediate sense. This includes being very careful when submitting your information over the Web. Always look for the http in the address bar and the lock icon on the right side of the area where the address appears anytime you even think about entering sensitive personal information. If the site has especially strong security, through a process known as EV SSL, the address bar will appear green. This is absolutely a good thing, so don’t worry; there is nothing wrong with the settings on your machine.