The rise of cybercrime has seen huge corporations have data breaches that can put their customers at significant risk. When you think about the amount of data and personal information you input online, the amount can be staggering. Therefore, you must think about your online safety and how you can bulk up your defenses to protect yourself no matter what happens to your available personal information. Statista found that 29% of online users haven’t taken steps to protect themselves in the last year.
The dangers of exposing yourself or your business can go from a small amount of lost work to a serious cybercriminal organization gaining hold of your banking information and using it for fraudulent activities. This is why you must take action to add layers of defense between you, cybercriminals, and nefarious third parties who want to collect and utilize your data and personal info for nefarious means.
When you look at these tips below, you’ll realize they aren’t that difficult to do. Most of them take a few minutes to begin, and the potential money they can save you is infinite. Whether it is picking up certain types of protection tools or just tips of common sense, if you follow the below, you will be protected online in no time.
Here are the best things to improve your online safety:
Use a VPN and Proxy
Whenever you browse online, it is a wise move to use a VPN – especially if you are someone who frequents coffee shops or shared workspaces (something that has grown rapidly since the pandemic). When you connect to a public network, you have no idea of the level of protection on it or who could be stealing the data that goes from your computer to the network and back. A VPN protects your internet traffic, encrypting it to make it impossible to read by anyone. A proxy can create a residential IP that protects and hides your location but is particularly effective if you work in a group.
VPNs have the additional benefit of keeping your IP address hidden, so any companies looking to target you with regional or personalized advertising will be stuck. VPNs also have the great feature of having freedom of location – you can watch your favorite Netflix or Amazon Prime movies from anywhere across the globe.
Get a Good Antivirus and Update It
Antivirus software does more than protect your PC against viruses – it can resist malware, ransomware, trojan horse attacks, and more. It is a fantastic tool, something you can leave on in the background, allowing it to scan and keep you fully protected. It is important to know that your prebuilt Windows antivirus is not as good as the best third-party options. It cannot do half the features of free, available antivirus software.
If you go for a simple antivirus or a full, paid security package, you need to keep it updated; otherwise, you can leave yourself exposed to the newer types of viruses and malware created by cyber criminals.
Be Smart With Passwords
One of the easiest ways for you to get attacked is for your passwords and usernames to get leaked in a big data breach – if you use the same password for all your major accounts, the cybercriminals will have hit the jackpot.
Therefore, you should create a unique and individual password for every account you have. A smart choice would be to find an effective password manager that can randomly generate a password using capital letters, symbols, and numbers and formulate a super password for specific accounts. The password manager will remember this, making your online life more relaxed and protected.
Authenticate Yourself
While multifactor authentication can feel like a boring chore and can be quite tiresome, it is something that makes your accounts infinitely more secure. It creates an additional layer of checks, not just a simple username and password, whenever you log in. You should employ multifactor authentication if you have an important account or something with personal information and data stored.
It usually uses a mobile phone and an app on there. You can have a key generated for a short time that you’ll need to enter After you have used your username or password – it can even simply text or call you with a code to enter, making it fairly convenient. It creates a secure layer that means if someone learns your password, they still don’t have full access to your account. The password is negated with multifactor authentication and gives you more power over the account.
There are other small tips and common sense actions that you can take, but if you employ the actions above when you go online, you will be much better at it. Whether you use an exposed public network, have your data and information revealed in a data breach, or find out that your password has been leaked, you will still be in a strong position to protect your online safety.
