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Securing Yourself Online
Final Version
1 Attention Catcher: You are at risk. All of us are at risk. I’m not talking about STDs, global warming, or terrorism. I’m talking about your life online. You’re at risk of having your computer taken over so that perfect strangers can read your e-mail, access your bank accounts, pilfer your credit card numbers, and even steal your identity.
2 Listeners Link: Speakers Credibility: As college students, we’re particularly vulnerable because we spend so much time online. According to David Tatar, manager of Wisconsin’s Consumer Office of Privacy Protection, 32 percent of all identity theft claims are filed by people between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. That’s the largest percentage of any age group.
3 Speakers Credibility: I’ve seen this over and over again at my summer job as a computer technician at a nationwide computer store. You wouldn’t believe how many computers are compromised and infected.
4 Thesis Statement: Today I’d like to explain three steps that experts recommend for online security
5 Preview: The three steps are using strong passwords, using secure connections, and double checking links before clicking on them.
Main Point One
6 Step one: The first step is using strong passwords—for e-mail accounts, bank accounts, and everything else that you do online. What makes a strong password? Take a look at this example: IwbiP;;4387-CSamFF. Now this is a long password, but that’s part of its strength. The first criterion of a strong password is having 10 characters; 15 or more is even better—like the one I showed you. It should also include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation such as semicolons, hyphens, and underscores.
According to Microsoft’s online guide to creating strong passwords, when your passwords contain long combinations of seemingly random letters, numbers, and punctuation, your security increases exponentially—meaning that a password like the one I showed you is
Final Version
1 Attention Catcher: You are at risk. All of us are at risk. I’m not talking about STDs, global warming, or terrorism. I’m talking about your life online. You’re at risk of having your computer taken over so that perfect strangers can read your e-mail, access your bank accounts, pilfer your credit card numbers, and even steal your identity.
2 Listeners Link: Speakers Credibility: As college students, we’re particularly vulnerable because we spend so much time online. According to David Tatar, manager of Wisconsin’s Consumer Office of Privacy Protection, 32 percent of all identity theft claims are filed by people between the ages of 18 and 29 years old. That’s the largest percentage of any age group.
3 Speakers Credibility: I’ve seen this over and over again at my summer job as a computer technician at a nationwide computer store. You wouldn’t believe how many computers are compromised and infected.
4 Thesis Statement: Today I’d like to explain three steps that experts recommend for online security
5 Preview: The three steps are using strong passwords, using secure connections, and double checking links before clicking on them.
Main Point One
6 Step one: The first step is using strong passwords—for e-mail accounts, bank accounts, and everything else that you do online. What makes a strong password? Take a look at this example: IwbiP;;4387-CSamFF. Now this is a long password, but that’s part of its strength. The first criterion of a strong password is having 10 characters; 15 or more is even better—like the one I showed you. It should also include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation such as semicolons, hyphens, and underscores.
According to Microsoft’s online guide to creating strong passwords, when your passwords contain long combinations of seemingly random letters, numbers, and punctuation, your security increases exponentially—meaning that a password like the one I showed you is