Ever wanted to make a certain part of your site ‘members only’?

The Password Protect feature is an extremely useful way to password protect certain parts of your site. Simply click on the directory you wish to protect you you will be asked for the following

• Password Protect Checkbox - you MUST tick this box to switch on Password Protection
• Protected Resource Name - this will appear in the password box the user will see, for example you could have ‘mysite.com member’s only area’
• Username
• Password

Please note this is only a very basic (and not totally secure) way of password protecting areas of your site

The cPanel Change Password utility is pretty self explanatory really! However, it does contain some good tips on safe passwords.

Along with the rise in identity fraud, the practice of ‘password guessing’ has also risen. If you choose a password which is easily identifiable it may be easy to guess - for example telephone number, date of birth, etc.

The best passwords to choose are passwords which contain ALL of the following:

• Lowercase letters
• Uppercase letters
• Numbers

And, most important of all, DO NOT include details such as telephone number, date of birth, name, mother’s maiden name, etc.

Here are a few tips to staying safe online…

1. ALWAYS use a firewall! This is even more essential when using a broadband connection. Windows XP comes with a firewall, but if you’re not using XP a good, free firewall can be downloaded from ZoneAlarm at www.zonealarm.com.

2. Use AntiVirus Software. Norton Antivirus is rated the best, but if you’re a bit short on cash a good free version can be downloaded from Avast - www.avast.com (personal use only).

3. Scan your system regularly for spyware - one of the best free antispyware packages available is AdAware from Lavasoft - www.lavasoft.com

4. Don’t open suspicious e-mail attachments - if in doubt just delete it without opening it.

5. Use a good, up-to-date browser. The latest version of Firefox can be downloaded from www.mozilla.org