User blog:Deadcoder/3 More Security And Safety Tips For Wikia Users

Hello, I'm Deadcoder. Most of you know me for my work and episode review blog on the Code Lyoko Wiki. But today, I'm blogging about a serious matter that's important to every Wikia user, from anon accounts to Wikia staff, to everyone in between: Security. In this post, I'll post 3 additional security tips that you can follow to make your communities safer. If you want more tips, read this post: User blog:Deadcoder/5 Security and Safety Tips For Wikia Users.

0. Have a wiki security policy. This rule is for Wiki leaders. As a leader of your community, you have a duty to ensure the well being of your community, and part of this is protecting user safety. With that in mind, you should have established policies to protect users in your wiki. Your policy should have the following: mandatory security rules, instructions on what to do if a security screwup happens, and a listing of designated security officers. This is a good community level step.

1. Use Tor Browser. If you are really paranoid, have had stalkers before, are in hiding, or have any other reason to worry about your safety, use Tor for your internet browsing, including on Wikia. Wikia blocks anon editing with Tor, but if you're logged in, you should be fine. Tor Browser is the Kevlar armor of cyber security. I won't go into the details of how Tor works, but if you want a more detailed explanation, ask, and I will give one.

2. Perform virus scans on anything you want to upload to a wiki, before you upload it. Many security flaws have been found in image handling code, so it's possible for image files to contain malware. The security scanners consumer computers "yours" and industrial servers "Wikia's" use are generally different, so one could miss one the other would hit. If you have any suspicion of any image's source, scan it with a virus scanner before you upload it. This can prevent an infection from being spread on your wiki. Don't be a digital typhoid mary, scan before you upload.

And there you have it! 3 more security tips to protect yourself and your communities! Leave comments! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you actually follow these recommendations.