Think about how long you’ve had an email account. You’re probably on your fourth, fifth, or sixth. Perhaps you’ve migrated from Yahoo! to Gmail in past years. Or maybe you’re still hanging onto that ancient AOL account you set up at the dawn of mass public internet access. Think about all the information that’s linked to your email: banking information, insurance, Amazon Prime, your Netflix subscription. Have any of your email accounts ever been compromised, only to have all of your contacts receive a spammy message from someone posing as you? Have you ever clicked on a random email link that promised to show you an amazing video of a cat playing Mozart, resulting in your computer spazzing out like it was about to blow up?

Here are a few reminders about making sure that your email and all the associated information is safe and secure:

Use separate email accounts

You’ve got a separate account for work email, so why not have separate accounts for yourself? Instead of using a single account for all of your needs, use multiple email accounts for personal, recreational, and professional use. Odds are, it’s your recreational account – the one you used to sign up for that Bass Pro Shop newsletter you don’t read or the one you used for an online contest entry – that has the most potential to get compromised.

Set strong passwords

Face it: PASSWORD is not a strong password. Neither is “123456” nor “asdjkl.” Check out this 2015 Engadget article that provides 25 of the worst passwords that have been exposed. If your passwords resemble any of those, it’s time to re-strategize.

Most of us realize that a good mixture of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters are key to choosing a password that’s difficult to hack. A common strategy is to use the first letters of a memorable song lyric or phrase. If you’re feeling patriotic, you might use “OScuC-74’76” which is shorthand for “Oh say can you see – 7/4/1776.”

ProTip: Never use the same password for all of your accounts. If you have a hard time remembering all these phrases and numbers, there are options: use a manual log or use a password manager like LastPass or SplashID.

Constant Vigilance: Links and Attachments

Don’t open a link or attachment from a source you don’t know! According to Digital Trends, 2014 was the worst year for Malware: Target, Citibank, and Sony suffered major losses due to several nefarious schemes. One almost caused an international incident! Comparatively speaking, while maintaining security on private email might seem to be small fries, clicking on a link or opening attachment that comes from an untrusted source could result in an unpleasant situation for you and your family. Or you could unintentionally contribute to a botnet situation.

Phishing

While phishing sounds like “fishing,” which is a fun activity for many people, there’s nothing fun if you’re the one caught on the hook. If you receive an email from a high-profile company like Amazon, Facebook, or Google asking for your username or password, delete the email or move it into your spam folder. No one has a use for your username and password other than you.

ProTip: Scammers use sneaky techniques to disguise their links as legitimate pathways. Hover your mouse over any suspicious links to see the true path. If it looks phishy (www.facebook.i.com, for example), don’t click!

 All links embedded in this article are legitimate and won’t contribute to a machine takeover a la Skynet.

We’re at the height of summer, so grilling is probably your cooking method of choice these days. But if you need to break out of the typical burger or grilled chicken rut, these quick-and-easy packets are a fun way to shake things up. Here, simple, tasty tilapia is wrapped in a foil packet for grilling along with a variety of colorful seasonal produce – think cherry tomatoes, summer squash, and green beans – and flavored with lemon juice, oregano, olives, and capers. The result is a juicy, tender-cooked meal with plenty of Mediterranean flair that’s also super healthy; there are just 181 calories and a whopping 24 grams of protein in each serving.

4 servings  |  Prep Time: 35 minutes  |  Total Time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup quartered cherry, or grape tomatoes
• 1 cup diced summer squash
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives (optional)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon capers, rinsed (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Oven Variation.)
2. Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, green beans, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
3. To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one portion of tilapia in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then top with about 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture.
4. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining fish, salt, pepper and vegetables.
5. Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.

TIPS & NOTES:

• Oven Variation: Preheat oven to 425°F. Place green beans in a microwavable bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave on High until the beans are just beginning to cook, about 30 seconds. Drain and add to the other vegetables (Step 2). Assemble packets (Steps 3-4). Bake the packets directly on an oven rack until the tilapia is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.
• Make it a meal: Enjoy over whole-wheat couscous with a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc.