How To Protect
There are various threats when you go online and start using the internet and these vary from hackers to the collection of your personal information. While it is easy to fall prey to these threats, it is also pretty easy to take steps to protect yourself from these threats. This article will go about protecting yourself and your information when you go on the internet so it is a nicer experience overall.
Protection Against Hackers
Firstly, a hacker is someone who uses computers or other electronic devices to gain unauthorized access to data. This data can be used for all sorts of purposes, but most commonly to access things like your bank details so that they can get your money, make new credit cards in your name, or sell your information to other parties who will use it for illegal purposes.
Things To Do To Protect Yourself From Hackers
The first and most important step is to use two-step authentication or two-step verification wherever possible. This security feature is supported on various platforms (usually found in settings) and when you enable it, every time you log into that platform, it will register your computer and then send you a text message with a code that you need to enter to log in. This is important as even if a hacker can gain access to your password. They still have to get access to your phone to break into your Privacy account. Text messaging is also much more secure than email as only one device can have the same SIM card and number.
The next rule to protect yourself is to not use the same password everywhere. As hard as it is to remember so many different passwords, as soon as you make even one password the same, you make it that much easier for a hacker to gain access to another account, containing more of your data. Moreover, you really should have a strong password. Most websites suggest an eight or more-character password with a mixture of symbols, upper case letters, lower case letters, and numbers. However, the longer the better is a pretty good rule.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that all the software. Updates on your devices are there to make sure you are as protected as you can be. So every time you get a Windows update, you should update as soon as possible instead of putting it off for a week. as this is usually there to fix a known attack that hackers have figured out to get access to your computer. It doesn't matter if you are using a Mac either as they aren't immune to attacks so remember to keep all your systems up to date. This includes third-party applications as well, so just try and update everything you can as soon as you can
Protecting Information Online Through Social Media
You should also be careful with social media and how much information you put online, as hackers will use any information about you that they can get to try and attack you. They can look at what you do, where you go, and your spending habits all from things you post online. So you post about going to a business meeting or leaving the country, these are all things that hackers can use to try and attack you. One of the main things they do in terms of this social engineering is to create a sense of urgency. So if a hacker knows that you are about to get a package delivered and you are not at home, they can pose as the delivery service and try to get you to log into a delivery site and input your password to steal it.
Lastly, be aware of your personal information. So a person is most likely not going to call you on the phone from a banking service and ask you for things like your credit card number. So whenever you get that type of call or something similar, it is important to look at the website of the service and call the number on the website. Usually, these types of calls are attackers impersonating financial services or other such organizations to get your personal information.
Image Source: https://www.freepik.com/
Photo Designer - Kavindu Lakvindu
The Writer - Damidu Tharinda
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