How to protect yourself online in three easy steps
S ometimes it may seem safer to go back to the days of the Pony Express rather than deal with the multitude of online threats, but there are some simple steps you can take to minimize the risks you face. First, get a security suite, although there are about a dozen good suites, free and paid, out there. Go with one that gets good ratings and that you trust, and make sure that you let it update and scan regularly. Second, I strongly recommend using a password manager that's independent of your browser. Not that the browser password managers are known to be risky, because they're not. But third-party managers allow you more options, such as mobile device support, that I find essential. LastPass (download) and RoboForm (download) are among the best cross-platform tools out there that will work on both Windows and Mac and have smartphone support. Third, use two browsers. Do your mission-critical browsing, such as financial transactions, in a separate browser from your...