This tips will guide you on how to maintain your online safety while browsing online.
1) Use strong passwords on all of your mobile
phones and other devices.
Among the many ways to guide yourself against identity theft
online is by using strong passwords. Avoid using simple passwords like “admin”,
“12345678” or “password”. Do not use common names like your pet name or your
child’s birthday. The best passwords are ones that are easy to remember but
hard to guess for other people or malicious programs that try many password
combinations. Length of password trumps complexity. Remember to not reveal your
passwords to others like writing it on a piece of paper near your computer. You
can use a password management application to generate complex passwords and
store them for you. A strong password contains uppercase letters, lowercase
letters, numbers, and special characters or symbols.
2) Always use two-factor authentication (on
your email and financial accounts)
It is sometimes known as a dual-factor or two-step
verification. It requires a user to provide two different authentication
factors to verify their identity. For example, after you log in to your account
it sends you a code via SMS or email on your device to confirm that it is
really you. It reduces the likelihood of other people to log in to your
accounts.
3) Don't do any online banking or shopping at
a local café.
Avoid accessing unsecured public Wi-Fi using your devices.
It may make you vulnerable and if you must use do not enter compromising
information (e.g. financial websites). Information about your credentials may
be collected by a hacker setting a Man In the middle attack or scanning the
network. Use a VPN to do any browsing when you are not at home. VPN helps to
encrypt the data that you send and receive and hardens the intercepting from
other sources.
4) Update the operating systems and other
software on your devices regularly
This help to fix security loopholes that may be detected by
your programs and devices.
5) Educate your family
You may be cautious but your network may only be as strong
as your weakest link.
If other users aren’t playing their part in keeping
everything secure, your efforts might be fruitless. Make sure everyone who
usually uses the network knows how to help secure it.
6) Don't give out personal information through
text, email, or on your phone
Avoid sharing personal information. It’s easy to get
comfortable and share some little bits of information with strangers online.
Though the amount of damage a cybercriminal can do with just a little
information is huge.
Share information on survey sites sparingly. Use a different
username from your real name for websites. Never share identifying details with
strangers you meet online.
7) Do not click on unknown links or open
strange email attachments
Don’t click on strange-looking links. You can identify a
strange link by checking the URL (Hover your mouse over the URL) and check the
validity of the web address. You should look for the padlock symbol in the
address bar and check if the URL begins with a “https://” or “shttp://”. The S
shows the web address is secure and encrypted by an SSL certificate. Pay very close
attention to the spelling of the web address. Fraudsters' websites may look
like the official ones with a small change in spelling, e.g. the letter o and
number 0.
8) Encrypt and backup your data
Backing up your data regularly ensures that you get your
data back in case you become a victim of an attack such as Ransomware.
9) Don’t open mail from unknown people.
Do not open Email from strangers as this may contain
phishing links to steal information from you such as login credentials.
10) Be smart with financial information
Before purchasing anything online with your card online
ensure the website,s URL starts with https://. The “s” shows that the site is
encrypted. Also, you should consider whether or not to save your financial
information on websites you buy from, even if you shop with them often.
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