BuzzFeed’s Comprehensive Guide To Internet Safety (excerpts) Most “hacks” these days aren’t really even hacks, but a series of clever tricks executed to gain a level of trust from the target. Here’s how to keep your email and bank info secure. Posted on Sept. 4, 2014, at 12:58 p.m. Justine Bienkowski COMMUNITY MEMBER

Don’t click on links you get from people you don’t know. If a stranger walked up to you and handed you a box in the middle of the street, you probably wouldn’t open that, right? *ALERT ALERT* STRANGER DANGER And even if it LOOKS like it’s from a friend, don’t click blindly if it seems weird!

Be wary of phishing attempts. Phishing is a common practice used by scammers to appear legitimate in order to lure people into clicking on their links and entering passwords so that they can gain access to accounts. QUESTION EVERYTHING! I mean, don’t be neurotic but take a beat and think about what you’re doing before you do it.

Don’t feel stupid! These things are easy to fall for, and it’s not your fault if you do. Today any one person might have 40 some-odd accounts online, and that’s a lot to keep up with. Don’t be scared to ask questions or hesitate. It’s great to be into new fads and new technology but don’t let it become your master. Reach out to your parents or IT team to ask any questions you have—they are there to support you!

Keep your computer up to date. Make sure to install any security updates if your computer prompts you to do so. Even if you’re on Apple’s OS X—don’t assume that you’re safe. Updates will also help your computer run better, so usually it’s a win-win. Keep your programs up to date as well, especially things like Java, which are commonly targeted by malware. Take a page out of Bey’s book and UPGRADE.

Don’t install random programs and make sure to have an antivirus program. This is sort of a gimme but make sure that you’re downloading Adobe products from adobe.com, Microsoft products from microsoft.com, etc. Make sure that the developer is trusted. Also, don’t just install random plugins when prompted by sites! Pay careful attention to what kind of permissions you are granting them. New Windows computers these days come with Microsoft Security Essentials already installed. Free Mac OS X options include ClamxAV and avast!

Don’t trust things that ask for personal information. If a stranger came up to you in the middle of the street and asked you for your Social Security number or your password, even if, say, they were wearing a nice professional suit and looked legit, you wouldn’t give it to them, would you? TRUST NO ONE (without first verifying, of course)!

Don’t send money to people you don’t know. This should be a no-brainer but don’t send money to people you don’t know! If you get an email from someone asking for money and claiming you’ll get yours back tenfold, don’t trust it—this is a very common scam. Use that money to save up for your retirement instead. Or books. Books are good.

Ignore random messages on social media. Just like email, scammers use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other forms of social media to send phishing links and the like. Just because you’re on Facebook doesn’t make you more secure! In fact, it might be a little worse because scammers can glean all sorts of information about you if you’re not careful about your privacy settings.

Keep calm and check links! One of the easiest and silliest ways that scammers fool people is by including a link to a known site but it actually goes to a different link entirely. So it might LOOK in the email like they’re sending you to http://www.legitcoporation.com but the link will terminate in http://www.iwanttostealyourpassword.com. Always make sure to check the URL bar (where you type website addresses in) before you enter in credentials. You can also check the URL before clicking the link from your email, as in the picture.

Make your passwords unique & complex. The BuzzFeed IT Team recommends using a mixture of UPPERCASE letters, lowercase letters, ##NUMBERS##, and @$%SYMBOLS^&*. I know this totally sounds complicated BUT, here’s an easy way to do it. Choose a word at random (maybe something on your desk? Stickers? Rain? Flags?) then add a 4- digit number (2000? 2040? 1997? 1415?) and then tack on a symbol (#? $? Maybe even an exclamation point!!!) Generally, longer passwords are harder to crack, so if it’s easier for you to remember GuacSeltzerStickersData then just go with that. Additionally, use unique answers to security questions that ask for information in the public domain (birth city, mother’s maiden name, etc.) — that’s how Sarah Palin’s hotmail got hacked in 2008!

XKCD & Passwords