Improvement in technology has led to several benefits, among which communicating with friends and family across the world is one of them. However, with improved technology, safety has also become a concern. Browsing the internet is currently equal to walking through a battlefield with so many security threats. Your personal information is worth quite a sum of money on the black market.
Companies have also adopted a very unethical method of illegally acquiring your personal information online, and creating personalized ads. Searching yourself might leave you shocked at the footprint of the information left behind while browsing. Since internet surfing is essential, the following are things you should do to ensure you are safe.
Use Unique Passwords For Different Logins
Since hackers obtain your information from different sources, having unique passwords for different logins will ensure that all your sites are not compromised, even in case of sabotage. Using the same passwords in all your avenues could have your bank compromised, leading to a huge loss. When coming up with passwords, combine several characters and make them personal and unique. When it comes to your Internet security, you need to set up stronger passwords that only you can remember. Whether short or long, you have one task to do, protect your identity while surfing online. There are premium plans that could help you with your passwords in terms of protecting them and in ensuring that you don’t forget them.
Avoid Sharing Personal Information On Social Media
Personal information is personal for a good reason. Sharing this information allows cybercriminals to track you and use the information for their malicious gains. Information such as birth dates, emails, IP addresses, and credit card information should not be shared online. In the cases where you require an email address or phone number to access a site, ensure that you make changes to your privacy settings to ensure any secondary visitors do not obtain this information. Unless required, keep this information only to yourself.
Use Two-Step Verification
Accessing the internet and personal profile can be a long process when using two-step verification, but it is worth all the hassle. Two-step verification requires that you have different levels of authentication apart from the regular email and password. This authentication requires that after entering your initial login details, a message will be sent directly to you to verify authentication. When dealing with extremely sensitive information, this process is worth all the waiting you have to do.
Use A Virtual Private Network (VPN) When Browsing
Using a VPN ensures that your online presence is secure by making it impossible for other parties to monitor your online activities. A VPN also works to hide your geographic location, which in the wrong hands could be used by companies to send targeted ads. This measure can also be used to access information that might be locked in your country. Consider purchasing a VPN if you need your online presence to be untraceable.
Avoid Falling Prey To Click-On Phishing Mails
As the name suggests, click baits pop up on your screen and you can fall prey to fill in your personal information. Phishing criminals come up with links that can be sent to your email requesting your information. Once you give in to such scams, your online safety will be compromised.
Be Careful About What You Post Online
Once you post something online, there are no easier ways to reverse the process. Whether it’s an image, information, or whatever else that you might have wanted to post, ensure that it’s eligible in terms of, it will not come back and haunt you. Did you know from such, you could get sued or land someone else in trouble? The same could also happen when someone uses your content illegally. Do not fail to report any malicious activities on any of your social media sites. You never know, whistle-blowing could greatly help protect those in your inner circle. There’s one more important factor to remember; be careful of the people you meet online, what you tell them, and the information that you share with them. We are talking of dating sites, job employment sites, or sites that could hurt you financially.
As much as surfing on the internet might seem like the in-thing, being wary of being hacked or worse still, getting duped into some malicious scams, means that you need to protect yourself more. There’s no telling of the dangers that lurk on the internet. You need to have the right precautionary measures in place and the above tips can help you with your online safety.
