Naivety — the wrong way to behave on the Internet

You already know that your game accounts can attract cybercriminals just like the banking credentials of your parents. The Internet can be a dangerous place for those who don’t care about security. However, you already have access to the best weapon against cybercriminals: your brain.

Be smart and vigilant. If you think memorizing long, reliable passwords is tedious, make it funny. Really, it’s easy to find a fun way to memorize complicated passwords. Of course, you can also use a password manager.

Since you’re reading this, you must be a responsible person who cares about Internet security. Be sure to check these simple rules, which we’ve collected to help you defeat cybercriminals:

• Don’t tell anyone your passwords for social networks (e.g., Facebook) or online games – not even your best friend. If someone finds out your password they can steal your game items or make it look like you are sending bad things to your friends on social networks. Your friends wouldn’t be happy about that!
• Never send your password in an email or IM (e.g, Whatsapp, Skype, Viber, etc.), even if you think somebody working for a social network or online game is asking for it. Don’t forget: Someone who really works for a web service will never ask for your password.
• Try to use a long, complicated password. That means at least 8 symbols including upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Your pet’s name, your brother’s birthday, or a simple string of characters like ‘12345’ won’t do. They are too simple to guess, and they can be easily cracked using special programs.

Don't forget to check your password! #PassChecker http://t.co/vXnwmfqSWh https://t.co/P9Pm0SGc4n

— Kaspersky (@kaspersky) October 22, 2014

• Don’t write your passwords on a piece of paper, or save them in a file on your device – that’s exactly where a criminal will start looking for them. It’s better to memorize them.
• Before you type in your password, make sure you are really on the site you want to visit. Double check the URL in the address bar and make sure everything looks as it should. Criminals often make fake versions of popular sites so they can steal passwords.