In the wake of the NSA PRISM Internet surveillance scandal, and despite tech companies' protests that they knew nothing about the program, we're adding extra security to our Internet use. Disconnect 2 is an update to the popular Disconnect Chrome browser extension, created by a former Google engineer to keep personal data transmitted online private, and not tracked by the companies whose sites you visit.

Currently available as extensions for Chrome and Firefox (the company is working on Safari and Opera versions), Disconnect 2 stops over 2,000 third-party sites from tracking the personal information you input online. Once downloaded, a toolbar on the browser gives a real-time view of the websites that would be grabbing information about your search habits or recent location check-ins were you not using the tool.

Not only does it block the transmission of browsing history, but also, Disconnect encrypts data you choose to share on sites, just in case it one day falls into the hands of a separate company or person. The software is pay-what-you-can, with the option to allot some of the money to Disconnect, and some to Internet nonprofits like ProPublica, Center For Democracy and Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Tor Project. So you can help the digital good while protecting your digital life.

A month after the hacking of news agency Associated Press's Twitter account, which caused serious repercussions in the stock market, Twitter has finally enabled two-step verification for users. The added security boost syncs with a cell phone number to send a verification code via SMS each time you log in to your Twitter account.

To get two-factor verification on your account, first go to Settings, found in the gear icon in the top right-hand corner > select "Require a verification code when I sign in." > click the link to add your phone number. You'll then receive a text message from Twitter that the device is ready to receive verification codes.

Once you've signed up for the extra Twitter protection, the next time you log in to your account, you'll see the following screen to check the phone associated with the account for a verification code. Enter the code, and get tweeting!

Today the Associated Press's Twitter account was hacked with the frightening tweet that an explosion had occurred in the White House. It didn't take long for Twitter itself and users to realize the account had been hacked, but not before the tweet caused the stock market to drop over 100 points in the minutes after the tweet was published. While your personal Twitter account may not wield as much influence, social media hackings are real and present their own sets of headaches.

Follow these four steps to protect your Twitter account from falling victim to hackers.

• Don't click on links from strangers — Unfortunately stranger danger is alive and well on the Internet in the form of weird direct messages or tweet replies that direct you to look at a picture of "OMG, is this your new tattoo?!" It's not. Don't click. If an actual Twitter friend sends a message that's a bit off, verify on another platform — SMS or email — if they meant to send the tweet. Chances are their account was hacked, or maybe they just needed to be gently told that they sort of tweet like a spammer.
• Avoid phishing attempts — When signing into Twitter, check that you're on a secure and official log-in page by looking for a URL beginning with "https://" which denotes a safe connection to input username and password.

Read on for password safety tips and how to interact with third-party apps.

Another day, another privacy concern. This time (in basic terms), Google (and other companies) were able to bypass the iPhone and iPad's privacy settings in order to track which websites you visit on Safari. This isn't limited to Google sites — any site you visit is trackable.

Whether or not Google meant to track your browsing history is moot. They have since reworked the bypass and have stopped tracking web browsing on iDevices completely. But there are two very easy steps you can take in order to ensure that no one tracks your browsing history ever. Learn how below.

1. Head to your iPhone or iPad's General Settings. Scroll down to your Safari app, then find the area marked "Private Browsing." If it's not already, switch that to "On."
2. Then click on the "Accept Cookies" section and switch it to "Never."

These steps will ensure that Safari will not store browsing data, log-in details, or cookies.

The holiday season is here and millions of Americans are heading out to tackle their last-minute shopping lists. Though doing the lions share of your shopping online can save you time, there are many dangers lurking out there on the Internet, especially where there are credit cards involved.

One recent Internet phishing scam involves Apple fans, and a so-called "Christmas Awards" program. This email-based scam sends you a message from a non-Apple email address (like rediffmail.com) asking you to download an attachment to learn more about the awards program. The attachment is a Word document, which is a red flag for downloading viruses and malware. While the download doesn't appear to host any viruses, it does say that you've won $250 million dollars and a commemorative iPhone 4S. All you need to do to claim the "prize" is hand over all of your personal and sensitive information. Don't! If you get this email, don't open it and be sure to report it to the FTC.

Stay safe while shopping this holiday — and beyond — by following these tips that will keep your personal info out of the hands of hackers.

• Don't be fooled by fake log-in screens: If you're already signed into Twitter, Facebook, or your email, you won't be asked to sign in again unless you've logged out. Even if the screen looks like the normal log-in, it probably isn't.
• Don't be fooled by emails: I've been asked to reply to my "banking institution" with my account log-in information before. The email is formatted to look legit, but if you check the sender's address, most likely it's from a third-party account like Gmail, Yahoo, or MSN. Be diligent and never reply to emails with your bank log-ins or passwords and always check where they are coming from first! When in doubt, call instead.
• Reset your passwords often: Too often, people have some pretty lame passwords, which allow their accounts to get hacked even without a phishing scam. Make sure your passwords are tough to guess, and try to change them every few months.

See the rest of the tips after the break.

Cyber Monday is almost here, and if you're sitting at your desk cruising the sales right now, beware: dangerous viruses abound. Now that you're in shopping mode, a few reminders can go a long way to keeping your identity and computers safe from virtual disaster.

• Beware of unknown links — Just because something shows up in your inbox or on your Facebook wall doesn't mean it's not spam. If you don't know where the link came from (or it looks suspicious), don't click!
• Don't give out user names or passwords — If you've been asked to enter your user name and password anywhere else than a legit online store, back away slowly.

Check out the rest of our tips after the jump.

Mobile shopping is on the rise. In fact, nearly 60 million users will shop on their mobile phone for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year. Just because you might be using your smartphone to shop for gifts this year doesn't mean you aren't at risk for hacking, viruses, malware, or identity theft (especially if you're an Android owner, just sayin').

Since we increasingly put more personal information on our phones, including photos, emails, current location, and finances, you might want to consider downloading these services to protect your cell phone from malicious hackers. It's better to be safe than sorry!

• McAfee VirusScan Mobile — Protects against viruses, worms, spyware Trojan horses, and battery-exhausting malware. In addition, it offers security for email, instant message, and Internet downloads.
• Lookout — An award-winning mobile security service for Android, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry to scan and detect viruses, malware, and spyware. Lookout also acts as a backup system to restore data.
• Norton Mobile Security — Offers protection against cell phone loss, theft, and malware for Android.
  In addition to these, AT&T is working with Juniper Networks to release an antivirus and antimalware app for mobile phones, especially for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows phones. The scheduled release is for 2012.

While iPhones tend to be safer than Android phones, iPhone users aren't out of the clear. As people start to use their phones as a wallet and way to manage their money, iPhone hackers will start to creep up. Do you plan on investing in mobile protection, or do you think that it's unlikely that your phone will be hacked into?

Facebook has had some issues with privacy in the past, and this week a new privacy issue was discovered: Facebook can track you across the web, even if you're logged out of your account. At the basic level, your web browser contains cookies from Facebook that remember your log-in info, but there are more. The company has removed one cookie that reported your user ID until you shut down your browser (essentially tracking your movements across the web), but other cookies, which still allow Facebook to track data like failed log-in attempts, hackers, spammers, language, and log-in times and identify computers in Internet cafés, remain.

If you would rather Facebook not track your data across the web, there are a few things you can do:

For Chrome

• Browse in an incognito window — Chrome offers the ability to open an "incognito window," which allows you to browse in private. Download and browsing histories are not saved, and new cookies are deleted as soon as you shut the window.
• Install Facebook Disconnect — This Chrome extension blocks all traffic from third-party sites (the ones that are using the Like button and Facebook Connect) to Facebook servers but will still let you access the Facebook website itself.

For Other Browsers

• Download Disconnect.me — This app disables third-party tracking and shows blocked requests for installing cookies. This app is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
• Manually clear your Facebook cookies after every Facebook session.

You may know Bear Grylls best as the ultimate adventurer on Man vs. Wild, but after his website was hacked recently, he turned his focus to the dangers of the "digital wild."

I got a chance to speak with Bear last week, where we chatted about his own cybersecurity experiences along with some advice, tips, and tricks you should keep in mind while navigating your own "digital wild." According to Norton, over a million people a day become victims of cybercrime each year, so here's how you can keep yourself from becoming a target.

1. Arm yourself — Change your passwords regularly and make sure they're not obvious — use a mix of numbers and capitals and characters. Also, make sure you've got good antivirus protection, and just be aware that, probably, things that look too good to be true on the Internet probably are.
2. Prevention is better than curing — It's easier to stay on top of cybersecurity (by following the tips above) than cleaning up identity theft or fraud afterward.
3. Men are more vulnerable — Men fall victim to cybercrime more than women annually, so watch out boys!
4. Stay safe on your mobile — Have the ability to wipe your phone remotely. Most people don't even have a pin code on their phone, let alone the ability to remote wipe.
5. Watch out on social media, too — People use their mobile phones for so much more than speaking, so they have access to more, like the Internet in their daily life. They're much more vulnerable to phishing links everywhere, even on their phones.