1. ‘Tis the season to change your passwords

Now is the time to change the passwords of your most important accounts, especially if you haven’t yet in 2011. F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypponen says, “Focus your password efforts to services that actually matter to you. Lousy passwords are not a sin on a site you don’t really care about.” Here’s a system from F-Secure which can help you to create and remember strong passwords.

2. Plan ahead but don’t post ahead

Wait till you get home to post the details of your travels on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. If you do want to let a group of people know where you’re going, consider email, and if you must use Facebook, make sure you’ve got your privacy settings sorted. The general rule is, “Don’t tell anyone online that you’re going out of town who wouldn’t in real life.” The best time to share your photos and memories with your online social circles is after you’ve got back.

3. Take the geo-tagging data off your images

Every few months there is a major news story about how thousands of people are sharing their location unintentionally via the pictures that they take on their mobile devices. Here’s how to turn off geo-tagging on your phone.

4. Shop smart and monitor your credit cards

Make sure you’re on a secure “https” site when you make any online financial transaction. Only buy from companies that you trust and search on their sites rather than through search engines, if possible. If you’re paying with a card online, use the same card for all your transactions and keep an eye on the account at least weekly for anything suspicious.

5. Make sure your protection is up to date

Despite most of us being aware of some of the risks associated with the internet, there’s a surprising number of people who don’t have proper security [anti-virus/firewall etc.] set up.