Top 100 Security and Privacy Tips

In celebration of the 100th post on Security Generation, I’ve decided that a list of 100 security and privacy tips would be appropriate. The tips start off basic then get a bit more complex, and cover a range of areas from general computer and information security, to safe web browsing, email security and privacy. Thanks to everyone who’s been visiting (and to those who are following on Twitter), I hope to keep bringing you useful and interesting content into 2011. Feel free to share this with others, and suggest any other tips that you think I may have missed out! Let’s kick off the 100 Security Tips, enjoy:

1. Keep informed of current events in security by reading (or listening to) relevant security news
2. Always be aware and alert for threats, and adjust your security to fit your current environment
3. Be skeptical (not paranoid), and use common sense
4. Ask for help or information if you’re ever suspicious or unsure about something
5. Help educate others about good security practices, and point them to useful resources
6. Regularly patch your system, browsers, and other software and mobile devices when updates are available
7. If you use antivirus, and you probably should, update the signatures hourly at a minimum
8. Don’t use an Administrator (root) account for day-to-day use. Set yourself up a standard user account
9. Use good, strong passwords with a minimum of 8 characters
10. Do not use “password”, abc123, 12345, qwerty, your username, any dictionary word, or any derivatives of these as your password! Read more