It can be difficult but it is absolutely possible. Your devices contain a lot of private information about all your activities i.e. the websites you visit regularly, the online payments you make, the calls you make, the messages you send, etc.
But if you are wondering if you can cover your tracks to make it impossible for hackers to get your private information, we are here to tell you that yes, there are ways you can try.
Do You Have A Secure Connection?
Your first and foremost priority when entering the digital world is that your network connection must be on a secure line. The internet service provider that is delivering to your home, are they reliable? Do they offer a secure connection? This is important because the internet is your gateway to the digital world.
A safe internet connection ensures that your network traffic is being monitored and cyber threats are prevented from attacking your devices.
Can You Recognize Digital Scams?
As a consumer, you are the first line of defense against all frauds and digital scams. If you have the tools and awareness about them, you can protect yourself against scams by spotting, avoiding, and reporting them.
You constantly receive emails and messages on your online accounts daily. When a message feels unusual, asking for your personal information or requesting a money transfer, do not feel pressured to respond to such a query.
Note that no legit organizations would send emails from an address that ends with “@gmail.com”. Not even Google does that. Most companies have their own email domain and email accounts. Even if an email uses their domain name, also make sure it’s not misspelled.
When Was the Last Time You Changed Your Password?
Your passwords are one of the weakest spots for getting your private information. And it is incredibly easy for hackers to break into them. Unless you take some steps to prevent that.
For one, don’t choose an easy password. Don’t make it “12345”, “password”, or “michealjordan”. Don’t use your date or place of birth as a password. These are pretty easy to guess. You need to take on strong passwords that aren’t easy to crack. Add capital letters, symbols, and numbers to make them stronger. Make sure your complex passwords are at least 12 to 15 characters long.
What’s more, you need to make that all your online accounts have different passwords. If you keep the same password for all your accounts and the hacker guesses the password, lo and behold, he can access all your accounts as well!
Also, change your password every 60 days.
Have You Turned On Two-Factor Authentication?
In case you don’t know, it’s an extra security measure. And an extremely useful one at that. If you are using an app, for instance, your bank app, and you log in, you will be sent a code to your phone number. Entering that code in the app will allow you to log in to the app. If you ever forget your password to log in to the app, you can ask for a code to be sent to your phone number so that you can reset your password and log in again.
Basically, the purpose of two-factor authentication or 2FA is to add another level of authentication to the login process.
If a hacker tries to log in to your app and clicks on Forget Password, you will be the one to receive the code on your mobile phone. That’s a signal for you to know that someone is accessing your account. Even if he correctly guesses your password and logs into the app, he still won’t be able to because you are the one who will receive an authentication code to your mobile phone to log in.
Can You Trust Your Online Friends?
A lot of us have made great friends while surfing the web. We have not met most of them, mainly because they live in different cities or in other corners of the world. Sure, we have corresponded in multiple ways, shared photos, and attended online video calls.
But do we really know them? No matter how long we have known them, we still need to be on our guard at all times. Make sure you don’t share private information over the internet, at the risk of them being leaked. Trust your gut feeling.
Also, this isn’t limited to just online friends, but also people we are corresponding with on the internet occasionally. Have you met a seller whose product you are interested in? Don’t pay them unless you are absolutely sure that the product they have is legit. Found a place to crash online for the weekend? Again, don’t make the payment unless you are sure the place exists and isn’t some dump.
Final Thoughts.
You may not be able to afford the best security but there are some things you can try manually to keep yourself safe in the digital world. These steps have already been described in the article. If you feel like you have been scammed by any cyber threats, report it to FTC. However, as long as you are taking precautions, you can still go ahead and take advantage of the digital world. Happy Browsing!
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