PROTECT YOUR PASSWORDS BECAUSE HACKERS ARE GETTING SMARTER EVERYDAY

Cybercriminals are experts at duping people into downloading malicious software that can give them access to your personal information and passwords.

But there are common sense steps you can take to avoid getting hacked:

• Avoid bad links: Check where a link is taking you before you click it.

Rest your mouse cursor on the link (don't click!) and examine the address. If it is supposed to take you to “Music.com" but will take you instead to “x78vyt.net," it's suspect.

• Don't visit questionable websites: The dark corners of the Internet are real-life slums. Porn sites are notorious malware havens.

• Don't fall for phishing scams: We all know to ignore emails from our distant Nigerian uncle prince in need of a wire transfer. But more modern scams use all sorts of bait. They pose as your bank, email provider or social media sites. But banks won't ask to reset your password via email. And threats to “shut down your account" are highly questionable.

• Don't download from unknown sources: Only pull files from websites you trust. You're literally accepting an unopened box from someone else.

Use different passwords

You don't use a master key for your home, car, computer and office. A single password shouldn't allow universal access to your communication, finances and health information.

Everyone's bound to get hacked sometime. Using different passwords for different websites can help contain the damage

Use smarter passwords

Make it hard to crack — and change it often.

For starters, don't make it something easy to guess like “password" or “123456." Unbelievably, those are still among the most common passwords.

Your child's name or your birthday are easily found online — don't use them. And PINs are easy puzzles for computers to solve.

There's a lot of debate about what makes the best password. But a Long sentence   especially a random phrase — does the trick. That's especially true if it's easy to remember. No human will guess “The Lava Punched The Tornado." Add a symbol ($%^&*) and a few numbers for good measure. And it'll take longer for a computer to figure out than shorter, random gibberish like “M3talR0ck5."

Change your password every six months. Sound annoying? Losing control of your email or Facebook account is much worse.

Be careful what you store

our online accounts are already gold for hackers. Don't make them goldmines.

Never email your Social Security number, because it'll stay in your archives. Erase old messages with your bank account information and credit card numbers. And never keep a saved document that serves as a master list of passwords. For hackers, that's a treasure map.

And if you keep nude photos or other sensitive information, just because you deleted it doesn't mean that its gone forever  there might be a cloud backup. Know where your data is being saved.

Use protection

Tools exist. They're not always convenient or foolproof, but it's better to put them to use than to leave your front door open to bad guys:

• Antivirus software: It won't solve all your problems, but it's a start. These programs scan for known computer viruses. They're of limited use for brand new attacks, but some products can detect phishing scams and other common schemes.

• Use a secure connection: When connecting to any website that uses your personal information, make sure you're using a secure, encrypted connection. Here's how to spot it: Look at the address bar above. Does the website URL start with HTTP or HTTPS? There's a difference. The added “s" stands for “secure" — no one can eavesdrop on your Internet session.

• Use two-factor authentication: This is the best way to make sure no one else can pose as you. If you set it up, every sign-in will require two steps. First you enter the usual username/password combination. Then you'll get a unique one-time code sent to your phone (or other device). It's a third, temporary password.

Even if your login credentials are stolen, with two-factor authentication, hackers won't be able to get in (unless they have your phone too). Amazon AMZN GOOGLE FACEBOOK TWITTER  offer this as an option.

If you've been hacked

It happens. But when you've been hacked, don't just sit on your hands. It's time to take evasive action:

• Remove the computer virus: Antivirus software can help you find and destroy it.

• Update your software: Download the latest versions of all your programs, especially Internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox and

browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft MSFT Internet Explorer. Pay special attention to Adobe ADEB programs, which are offer the target of hackers

• Change all your passwords: Just make sure you do it on a different computer than the one that's infected. If the virus has keylogging software, you're just letting hackers know what your new passwords are.