Karachi, 03 Sept, 2013 - It would be naive to assume that the information that we consider to be private is in fact actually private. Governments have been using information available on social websites ever since they came into inception.

Where it may be difficult to block information leaks to governments, they pose little risk to the average user. The real threat to online security comes from the people who want to access your information in order to do some harm, such as disgruntled co-workers or a former confidant.

Email accounts, facebook profiles or other social media accounts can allow the average hacker to take over your account, snoop for information, spread misinformation and even delete your accounts.

There are however, a few steps one can take to increase their online security. These do not provide a fail-safe option, but will ensure that your personal security level online stays high - reducing the chances of your account being hacked.

2-Step Verification

Some of the main online sites such as Gmail, Facebook, Twitter and Apple offer two-step verification systems.

2-step verification is a process in which apart from your password, there is another level of authentication. This could perhaps send a code to your cell phone that needs to be input before you gain to access the site.

In order to make this task less painstaking these sites allow you to enter systems that the site will always recognize and therefore will not ask for the second level of verification every time. While traveling and access to your local number is not possible, these sites offer a few codes that you can keep in handy should you need to access them from an unrecognized machine.

This is a highly recommended step that you should have. In case you are not sure how to do this you can always Google, ‘methods on activating 2-step verification.’

Passwords

Where we try and keep passwords that are easy to remember, the problem is that the easier the password, the easier it is to hack. Passwords should generally be alphanumeric (containing both letters and numbers) but should also contain capital letters and special characters(@#%!*).

It may be a good idea to use an online tool or app that stores your passwords securely. 1Password is one such online tool and app that allows you to do that. Also you should change your password every 3 months as good measure.

On-Screen Keyboards

Probably the easiest way a hacker can obtain passwords is through hidden applications in the system called keyloggers. These applications record every key that is pressed on the keyboard and send the information to the hacker.

Windows and Macs have system tools called on screen keyboards. This presents a full keyboard on your screen that can be used to input characters through mouse clicks. This way keylogger's won’t register any keys being pressed but rather mouse clicks when you input a password. Click here to enable on-screen keyboards for Windows and Macs

Don’t Trust the System

It’s obvious that one should never share their passwords with anyone but even if you trust the person, you have no reason to trust their machine. Only your personal devices should be used to access your private sites such as emails and social media. Never trust a machine that is used by other people. You never know that what programs they maybe running.

Aside from the main ones listed below there are other simple steps you can take to ensure your passwords are safe from prying eyes:

1. Avoid flash based sites/games or clicking on advertisements
2. Change your passwords regularly
3. Never keep the same password for all your logins
4. Keep your virus scanner up to date
5. Regularly delete cookies and cache from your web browser

Twitter Handle: @salimkarim