- 19 August 2023
- Posted by:
- Category: News
Do you need some cybersecurity tips?
It’s great to live in a world where the Internet makes everything easier, from communicating with your loved ones to buying clothes and using banking services.
But all these benefits come at a cost, making you vulnerable to several cybersecurity threats that compromise your privacy.
In this digital age, your data is regularly collected, and bad actors can easily access and use it for malicious purposes, such as identity theft.
This makes online privacy a critical concern that all Internet users should be aware of, thus learning to practice good habits. By safeguarding your data, you can enjoy the benefits of the digital world confidently.
This blog provides some helpful tips on protecting your online privacy, so keep reading.
Limit the information you share online
Many people share a lot of information on their social media, but this can open the door to many malicious activities. Hence, it’s vital to be careful about sharing information you wouldn’t want strangers to find out. However, social networks aren’t the only ones that track your online activity– platforms like Zoom do, too, and they don’t take as much care of users’ data as you’d think.
There are some ways you can tackle the impact of oversharing, such as:
- Making a throwaway email account. Email lists are prone to falling into the wrong hands, as they can be sold on the Dark Web. To avoid this, you can create a throwaway email that you can only use for subscriptions.
- Reducing collaborative albums, folders and playlists. When you share your data with many people, this increases the possibility of getting hacked. For this reason, you want to enable access for only a limited number of individuals.
- Safeguarding your Wi-Fi password. Your router handles passwords, financial information and other sensitive data that should remain private. Hence, it is imperative to keep it safe from those with nefarious intentions by changing your Wi-Fi password regularly and enabling network encryption.
Use solid passwords and 2FA
Robust passwords are crucial in protecting your data against hackers. You should use passwords for all your devices and accounts and ensure they are hard to guess by combining letters, numbers and symbols.
Since it can be difficult to remember these passwords, consider creating a passphrase – a sequence of words that enables you to secure access to your device- by creating a story around it.
For instance, you can come up with something like Iw2Li20, which stands for I went to London in 2020. This is a smart way to create hard-to-guess passwords. Alternatively, you can use a Password manager to memorize all your passwords.
Invest in a VPN service
A VPN, or a virtual private network, benefits Internet users tremendously. Simply put, this software masks the IP address of your device to protect your data from prying eyes. This means you can browse the Internet safely, knowing your online identity remains hidden.
A VPN doesn’t only enhance your online privacy, but it also makes it easier to enjoy your favorite content. This is because it circumvents regional limits, allowing you to access geo-blocked sites.
Such software is definitely worth your money, as it solves many issues. So, take the time to compare popular VPN services and choose the option with the best features to guarantee the safety of your information.
Shop safely
The Internet provides a convenient way to shop for different things, whether clothes or home décor items. However, whenever you make an online payment, you expose yourself to risks, as hackers could steal your information and use your account for fraudulent activities.
Therefore, it is crucial to use secure online payment methods to avoid this, such as credit cards or PayPal. PayPal offers increased protection because it enables you to pay without the need to share any banking or credit card details.
When using PayPal for payments, you are automatically redirected to the website, where you must sign in to approve the charge. Before buying something from a specific website, check whether it is legitimate.
If the URL starts with https://, the website is likely safe, and you can proceed with your purchase. If you have concerns about a website’s reputation, look for online reviews which will provide the answers you need.
Review apps’ permissions
Apps can require permissions that have nothing to do with their function. For instance, there’s no reason to give a weather app access to your microphone or contact list. So, consider reviewing app permissions on your phone and adjusting them.
For instance, instead of ‘always’, you can change permissions to ‘while using the app’. Suppose you no longer utilize a specific application; you should delete it. There’s a common misconception that deleting an app means it’s entirely gone, but that’s not true. Remember the terms and conditions you checked off when installing the app?
You may not have realized it then, but when you agreed with them, you gave the app permission to use your data. There are a few steps to fully disconnect an app from your phone, which can even include contacting the customer service team of the application and requesting them to delete your data.
Make sure your software is up to date
In general, privacy hacks aren’t associated with newly-discovered bugs. Instead, cybercriminals exploit common vulnerabilities that certain computers fail to fix. This makes it critical to ensure your system is always up to date.
So, the next time you see a software update popping up on your device’s screen, don’t ignore it. It may be a pain to close all your programs and wait until your device restarts, but you’ll thank yourself for doing this, especially if the update solves an urgent security flaw.
Conclusion
In a world where individuals rely on technology entirely, cybersecurity has become paramount, helping prevent bad actors from accessing your data. Fortunately, you can protect your online privacy in different ways, such as limiting the information you share online, creating robust passwords and using a VPN.
You wouldn’t leave the house without locking the door, right? Well, you should apply the same security rules to the online world, so use the tips mentioned in this blog to keep your data safe.
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