Does an internet log-in secure my information?

The internet user has been made aware of the importance of having a log-in to have access to their ‘personal accounts’.

The shocking fact is that a log-in does NOT guarantee that your information remains secure!

A log-in has to function within a secure environment to be effective in ensuring the information you complete in an internet environment remains secure. (Refer to blog on What is a Secure Environment?)

So, when is it safe to log-in?  When you can answer the following questions:

1. Does https:// appear in the navigation bar on the page where you want to log-in?

If the log-in page is not on a https:// page, then the chances of it being a secure login is slim and your data would very likely be ‘visible’ on the internet for other people to access.

2. Is there a valid certificate available on the site?

Some sites show a ‘lock’ image, but the certificate is no longer valid or not for the mentioned site.

3. Lastly, do you know the company you want to create a user/client/customer log-in with?

Chances are that if you answer NO to any of these, it would be better NOT to log-in on the site or create a customer log-in.

There are additional security and safety measures that can be employed by companies to ensure that the log-in remains secure for the person who’s account it is, such as:

– security questions to validate the authenticity of the user

– additional security protection and firewalls on the servers of the companies offering the secure log-in accounts

– different levels of security depending on the sensitivity of the information that gets captured.

Unfortunately, there are several well-known companies who have account/user log-in facilities, but without the necessary security measures in place to ensure the privacy and security of their users’ information.

The PoPI act that will be coming into effect, will have a major impact on these companies offering internet user accounts (log-in) facilities without the necessary internet security systems in place…

Most important! Please READ the information on the pages in front of you. So often consumers just assume…
Assumptions lead to major headaches and unnecessary frustration that could have been avoided from the start.