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Top 8 Internet Safety Tips You Should Know
Teach your family internet safety to protect against scams, phishing, and identity theft.
You probably spend most of your day online. You check messages and emails, browse the news, and buy books or gadgets online.
Nowadays, you can do almost anything with a single tap. But before you click, swipe, and type, consider this: your computer is a treasure trove of personal information. And without a strong defense, you're open to phishing emails, online scams, and malware.
Keep your data out of the wrong hands with these internet safety tips.
1. Choose Strong Passwords
Choosing distinct passwords for different logins ensures your accounts aren't easily compromised.
A strong password helps prevent unauthorized access to your accounts and protects against identity theft. It's a fundamental step in maintaining your overall online security and privacy. Come up with a password that's difficult to crack but easy to remember using these strategies:
- Mix it up by combining uppercase and lowercase letters with numbers to make your password tougher for others to guess.
- Create unique passwords for different accounts, especially for sensitive services like banking. This helps protect all your accounts if there's a breach on one site.
- Change your passwords regularly to minimize the risk of exposure over time.
- Never share your password with others, no matter how much you trust them.
- Don't allow your browser to save your login details. While manually entering your information each time may be inconvenient, it adds an extra layer of security in case your device is lost or stolen.
2. Switch on Two-Factor Authentication
Adding Two-Factor Authentication can help prevent someone from easily accessing your account.
Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides another layer of security to your account. Even if someone discovers your password, 2FA can prevent them from accessing your account.
This helps protect sensitive data and makes you less vulnerable to online threats. It strengthens your digital defenses and makes it harder for hackers to penetrate your online world.
3. Check Your Privacy Settings
Going through your privacy settings can help you to manage your personal information. This lets you control who can access your phone number, email address, date of birth, and online activity.
- For banking and medical platforms, set privacy settings to maximum to protect financial transactions or health information.
- In social media, make your profile visible to "Friends only" to keep personal details private.
- You can keep yourself open for networking while keeping private contact information restricted in your professional networks.
- Then, employ more restrictive settings in public forums to avoid spam and unwanted attention.
Adjusting your personal privacy preferences allows you to manage your online visibility, reduce targeted ads, and prevent unsolicited contact.
4. Update Your Software
A strong internet connection allows quick, consistent software updates to protect your computer from security breaches.
Software updates ensure better compatibility with operating systems and patch up security vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Updates fix bugs that can cause crashes or data loss. They also introduce new features and improvements to your user experience.
Invest in a reliable, high-speed internet connection to ensure your security software is regularly updated. This supports quick and automatic updating across multiple devices, making your digital world secure against emerging cyber threats.
5. Keep Your Internet Browser Up to Date
Keeping your browser updated is critical for a smooth, secure online experience. It protects you against the latest online threats and addresses any known issues or "bugs" that might affect your browsing experience.
Most browsers automatically check for updates and then prompt you to restart your browser if one is available. You can also manually update this in your settings:
Google Chrome
- On your browser, go to "Help" and then "About Google Chrome."
- Check if automatic updates are turned on (if not, switch this on).
Mozilla Firefox:
- On your browser, click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
- Select "Help" and then "About Firefox."
- Check if automatic updates are turned on (if not, switch this on).
- Safari updates are usually included with macOS updates. To check for these, click on the Apple menu and choose "System Preferences."
- Click "Software Update."
- If there's an update available, click "Update Now."
Safari (for macOS):
6. Secure Your Internet Connection
Securing your internet connection keeps the data you send and receive safe from interception. This can involve multiple factors.
When you're away from home, you can use a VPN to encrypt your data so others can't easily read it. You should also use your data instead of public WiFi.
At home, you can use the latest and most secure WiFi protection standards (like WPA3) in your home network, enabling firewalls, and browsing through secure HTTPS websites. These steps help prevent unauthorized access.
7. Avoid Harmful or Illegal Online Content
Be vigilant against harmful content, stick to reputable sites, and employ security measures.
While you may avoid illegal online sites that can compromise your device and personal data, the danger lies in how harmful content often masquerades as something else. Here's how it can happen:
- Misleading links that appear legitimate or benign but, once clicked, redirect to illegal websites.
- Phishing emails or messages that seem legitimate trick users into downloading harmful content disguised as something trustworthy.
- Advertisements or pop-ups can be malicious, even if they look like standard promotions for products or services.
- Fake websites can mimic real ones, luring users into engaging with unsafe online resources.
- Files on peer-to-peer networks may be mislabeled intentionally to distribute prohibited content.
It's important to be vigilant, go only on reputable sites, and have security measures in place to protect against these deceptive practices.
8. Always Log Out of Your Accounts
It may seem obvious, but always logging out is a simple yet effective step in maintaining digital security, especially if you're sharing a household computer or using an office laptop. Logging out stops others from accessing your accounts after you leave the computer. This prevents you from exposing your messages, financial details, and other private data to the following user.
Securing Small Businesses Online: Safeguarding Your Business Assets
While it's important for individual users to prioritize their online safety, it's also important for small businesses and enterprises to tackle cybersecurity challenges. With the rise of online threats such as data breaches, ransomware, and targeted phishing, fortifying digital defenses becomes essential.
If you have a small company, invest in strong cybersecurity solutions like firewalls and antivirus software as well as ensure regular backup of business data to keep it safe. You should also have a plan in place to identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover from cyber threats. These simple actions will help secure your business's digital presence and build trust with your customers.
Having a strong internet connection like Globe At Home GFiber plans is a must in today's digital landscape. It ensures your security software is updated regularly and runs smoothly. It also allows uninterrupted functioning of security tools like firewalls and antivirus programs and supports reliable cloud backups. This gives you better protection during online activities and when backing up data.
Practicing internet safety is essential for everyone. Educate yourself, your kids, and older adults about online scams and phishing attempts. Pass on the knowledge of privacy settings and teach them to trust only secure websites. By following these online safety tips, you can #StopSPAM and safeguard your private information, peace of mind, and online well-being in an increasingly connected world.
