Online Safety: 5 Top Tips To Improve Your Safety

The internet can be considered one of the greatest inventions and gifts to humankind. However, the same space overflows with scams, and cybercriminals, making it a dangerous avenue. Technology has advanced, and hackers are ready to pounce on innocent users using creepy methods such as phishing and spoofing. Ignorant internet users fall prey and lose their sensitive information.

The 5G rollout has opened up for more significant risks. Mobile technology has transformed lives by bringing convenience. However, people have lost their valuables through portable internet-connected appliances. Despite the dangers of the internet, it is possible to take a handful of security measures that reduce exposure to threats.

Create complex passwords

Personal and financial data is kept secure by creating unique passwords. The world has experienced a widespread hack where one termination revealed thousands of passwords. So, reusing passwords is discouraged as cybercriminals can use leaked data from one attack and use it to access other accounts. Using a password manager has helped create and store all passwords that users have.

The next vital step is to check whether online accounts have multi-factor authentication. The two-step authentication involves pieces of information that require users to verify their identity.

A code is sent to the account owner’s cell phone or a phone call for verification. A strong password is long and has no-nonsense phrases. In addition, it includes numbers, symbols, uppercase, and lowercase letters. Obvious personal information such as birthdays is discouraged when creating passwords.

Boost your network security

After creating safer logins, it is vital to secure your network. People working in the office or at home use a password-protected router that encrypts data, meaning that the web is well protected. Today, the internet has become an essential tool, and people have installed routers everywhere to get their services on a good time, including public malls, public transport, and many more.

Nonetheless, using public WiFi may cause harm to users’ data as most of it is unsecured. Cybercriminals can easily access users’ devices or data. Investing in a virtual private network (VPN) helps create secure connections over the internet, making it safe for users to connect from anywhere.

Using a firewall

A firewall is a gadget that secures users’ networks by filtering traffic and blocks outsiders from getting into private data on their computers. It thus acts as a watchman that observes attempts to access the operating system and stops unauthorized traffic from unknown sources. It is also a traffic controller. An operating system and security software come with a pre-installed firewall.

The firewall only allows trusted IP addresses to access the computer. There are various types of firewalls, including packet filters, Virtual, Stateful inspection, and Next-generation firewalls. Users need firewalls to control access of their connections, secure data and prevent network crashes. Security magazine states that 2,200 cyberattacks happen every day. Therefore, users should put more effort into investing in firewalls.

Click Smart

The Internet is now readily available, and almost every business in sectors such as casino, fashion, entertainment, and transport have linked their services online. However, there are some activities that internet users should keep away from, such as clicking links carelessly without ensuring that they are safe.

Cybercriminals use phishing and social engineering to harm innocent internet users by tricking them into revealing their personal information. More fraudulent activities such as spam emails, clickbait, online quizzes, and phoney free offers entice users to click, giving up their sensitive data.

Some hackers hide behind juicy offers pretending to be genuine online casinos. One of the approaches they use is giving some attractive bonuses to new users. No deposit bonuses are some of the most lucrative ones as internet users are given free money that they can use on the online casino without depositing a dime. Always ensure that you play with no deposit bonuses on casinos that are rated high by experts and have licenses and instructions on how to claim them.

It is always crucial to think twice about deals that sound too good to be true. Avoiding requests that ask for too much information helps in avoiding a cyber-attack. Cybercriminals have also asked internet users to reveal their social security numbers, making many individuals suffer a significant attack.

Mobile devices and PCs are ever vulnerable to attacks. Links sent through text messages or apps have led people to misery. Downloading apps from official app stores saves people from attacks.

Practice safe surfing and shopping

Shopping online has become a norm, but internet users should be careful when approaching online stores. Check the site’s address before putting credit card information or financial information and visiting websites for online banking users.

Safer addresses start with HTTPS instead of an HTTP and have a padlock icon in the URL. Such evidence proves that the website is secure and uses encryption to scramble data, thus avoiding interceptions by cybercriminals. Today it is possible to identify copycats of legitimate websites as they have misspellings and bad grammar in their addresses. Using safe search tools, including McAfee WebAdvisor, helps in clearing risky sites.

Although the internet has increased convenience and created various job opportunities worldwide, users should be very cautious about their online activities. Comprehensive security begins with a strong password, the use of firewalls, and avoiding unnecessary clicks. Cybercriminals are sniffing around to attack unaware users.