January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Stalking has been reported to affect 3.4 million adults in the U.S every year. According to a new data released by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and McAfee, one in five (19%) Americans have come in contact with someone online who made them feel uncomfortable through stalking, persistent emails, and other aggressive outreach attempts.

In fact, President Barack Obama recognized the importance of this subject by issuing a proclamation on Dec. 28, 2010 declaring January 2012 to be National Stalking Awareness Month.

Below are some tips for preventing online hacking:

1. Use of strong passwords

Create passwords that include a mixture of letters, numbers and characters and usage of upper/lower case letters. Password length is an important factor to consider, every additional character decreases the risk of breaking the code.

2. Avoid generic usernames

Limit the use of generic usernames such as “Admin” or “administrator. Creating unique usernames requires as much attention as administring strong passwords.

3. Update the latest security patches

Ensure that your system is immunized with the latest OS, Antivirus and other relevant updates.

4. Lockdown your privacy settings

As a social media user, be sure to set your privacy settings to “private” or “friends only”.

5. Create an anonymous online presence

Limit the use of your primary email account for communicating with people you trust. For all other communication create an anonymous email account (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo).

6. Secure Your Network

Protect your network from external intrusion by implementing a Firewall (hardware or software).

7. Limit Online shopping to secure sites

Ensure that you shop on “https” sites and/or sites that have a TRUSTe or VeriSign seal.

8. Encrypt confidential data

Encrypt data that you don’t want comprised by using an encryption software, which transforms the data into an unrecognizable format. Without the decryption key, this data is rendered useless to potential hackers.