We are using internet on a massive scale nowadays. Most of our daily activities are connected to internet. But are we safe on Internet? We are sharing personal and professional information on the internet. We are vulnerable to hacking attacks and data breach. This article will help you to keep your data safe on the internet.
As compared to previous decade, India’s internet scenery has entirely transformed over the past couple of years. Not only fast internet became cheaper nowadays but also smart phones and laptops. Mostly everybody is connected to each other via Internet. But at the same time, internet has become a risky place because of data hacking and virus threats.
Lots of devices connected to internet putting large numbers of data online, which is troublesome for the internet users. Nowadays apps and games on smart phone devices demands sensitive information to proceed further. These vulnerabilities permit hackers to steal your passwords and other sensitive information. By taking these problems into consideration, it is vital to take protective steps to stay safe online.
Tips to help you stay safe on the internet
Keep Strong Passwords
Mostly, people try to keep passwords which are easy to remember. As per latest report of 2017, the most generally used passwords were qwerty, 123456, 11111111, password and many more. To have a strong security, you should use strong password.
Perfectly, a mix of upper and lower cases alphabets, with numbers and special characters use for a strong password. As an example, this could be like “$aMeY_201” which has upper and lower cases alphabets, numbers and special characters and length should be approximately above 8 characters.
Avoid using your vehicle number and pets name or date of birth which are easy to track down.
Change your password often
Most of the people tend to use the same password for many years and that something needs to be change. It is good practice, changing passwords of your account every 45-60 days.
Most people have hard time to remember the passwords, you can write them down or use services such as LastPass or Dashlane which helps you control all your passwords.
Also it is significant to have unique passwords for each websites than having same across all websites.
Login Notification on Sign-ups
Many of social and ecommerce websites allow users to sign ups for login notifications. Whenever you login to your account, you will get a notification email about the activity. If you login from an unfamiliar locations or devices, you will get instant message related to account security.
This is a good account security practice you can do to secure your accounts across the internet.
Use 2 Factor Authentications or 2FA
2FA is very useful for banking websites. This adds one more layer of security when logging into a website.
With 2FA enabled, websites sends text message such as OTP or one time password which you need to enter to verify your identity.
Avoid using internet from public Wi-Fi
The best thing about public Wi-Fi at location such as railway stations, airports, malls and cafes is that it is free to access and open. But it is venerable to attacks from hackers and they can steal sensitive information from your device. Use public Wi-Fi only if it is necessary.
Avoid clicking on random emails
You are familiar with emails in your Inbox which are from unknown sources or brands such as “Get a home loan on 0% interest” or “You won a Jackpot”. These are kind of click baits or phishing attacks.
When you click on links in these mails, hackers get a backdoor entry to your sensitive information. Then access lots of things from your computer and use it for evil purposes.
It is better not to open emails or links from unknown sources.
To browse anonymously use VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) creates a secure pathway between the device or smart phone and website you are visiting. It manages to keep your online activities private and secure.
Your ISP or government cannot track you or websites you are visiting. There numerous free and paid VPN services available in the market.
Use ad blockers and trackers
Do you ever noticed, how many times you have searched for tshirts or shoes or trips? And then, how many times you see ads which are similar to websites you have searched for?
Do you think you are followed? Hmm may be “Yes”.
Whenever you visit any website, a third party tracker gets stored into your computer. These trackers such as cookies, pixel tags, flash cookies etc.
With the use of trackers, companies come to know what you’re searching and most visiting. This can be useful because you can find better deal via ad network but at the same time it is threatening to your online privacy.
If you don’t want to get followed, you can use browser extensions such as Adblock or many more.
These extension help you browse freely on internet without getting disturbed by ad networks.
Use firewall and antivirus
Even if your network is safe and sound, it is always better to use a firewall. Firewall is kind of internet barrier that blocks unauthorized access to your computer. Firewall secures devices connected via internet to your computer.
Using good antivirus software is also an important step in securing your laptop or desktop from virus and other attacks.
Keep your software updated
In the end, if you have installed antivirus software on your computer then don’t forget to update it.
Install latest security patches each time new version comes up. So, you can keep your laptop or computer in safety and security.
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- How to Keep Your Data Safe on Internet - January 30, 2018
Ketan Shah
Ketan Jawale is a Digital Marketing Professional and Traveler works for Linkcue, an one stop destination for searching internet service providers and compare broadband plans in Mumbai.