How to Be Safe Online – Cybersecurity Tips to Keep Your Browsing Secure
The Internet is a global network connecting the world and providing a platform through which we share knowledge, information, entertainment, and communication.
It has become an indispensable part of our lives, making us rely on it in every part of the information about things that interest us and care about us.
But the advantages it brings also come with risks. The Internet is no longer safe in the age of increased cybercrime. Using the Internet is essential, but you should always use it with caution.
What Is The Internet?
So before we start with today's theme, I have a question for all of you:
Maybe it's social media, the websites you visit, search engines, the institutions you're a part of, etc. ...
To illustrate what I mean by the Internet, let's know it.
The Internet is the largest connection between computers worldwide!
It contains millions of smaller local, academic, commercial, community, and government networks, which together carry different types of information.
This is great, and everything, but it also means that all your data and information can be available to the public 😨! So let's see how you can use the Internet safely.
How To Be Safe Online
There are many precautions you can take to keep you safe online. Let's discuss everyone now.
1. Use Strong Passwords
When creating an account on a platform, make sure you use a strong password. This will help ensure that online attackers can't easily hack into your password and engage in suspicious activity on your system.
Now, maybe you're thinking about what a strong or weak password is?
The password that a lot of people use is weak - for example, "0123456789," "9876543210" or "password." Attackers can easily detect these weak passwords.
But when a password is not common, such as "WA [T8 {N #TV4", "h812h $6y48" or "#U^d #v @4", it is hard to guess.
If you're not able to create a strong password on your own, you can use services like 1password or LastPass. It helps you create powerful passwords that are hard to guess, and provides you with a safe place to store these passwords and other information.
2. Beware Of Scams
If you receive an email stating that you have earned a large amount of money or offer something you don't expect, be careful.
These scams often ask you for your personal and financial information... Once you're done, they don't respond. This is known as a phishing attack where a hacker tries to defraud the user to get some personal benefits.
So let's take a look at how to protect yourself from these types of attacks:
First, do not click any of the links available in suspicious emails. If you think it's from a trusted source and you click any of the links, make sure the domain name is the same as the website name, such as example.com should be example.com. The attacker may have used a copy of the real site and is trying to get your account information for that site.
If you detect such fraud, mark the email as spam as quickly as possible.
Do not respond to these types of emails. Failure to respond and report spam helps ensure that you do not fall prey to this fraud in the future.
Next, don't download any of the files provided by malicious emails, as they can contain different types of viruses such as Malware, Trojan Horses, and more.
Finally, I recommend deleting this email as quickly as possible (that's optional, but it's a good idea).
And then you don't have to worry anymore about this email 😊
3. Keep Your Operating System And Browsers Up To Date
When a new version of your browser or operating system is available, be sure to update it as soon as possible. Older versions may have lower security levels or may not be as powerful as the new version. All this can lead to more cyber attacks on your system.
To update your operating system, just set it to check for automatic updates. You can do this by following the following steps:
- Go to your Settings
- Open Update & Security
- Open Advanced Settings and set it to Automatic and that's it
To keep your browser up to date, just follow the instructions given below:
- Go to your browser settings
- Open Safety Checks and click on safety check now
- Check the update section. If you are unable to see an update button then it means your browser is up to date
4. Be Careful Where You Click
Be careful when clicking anything or downloading something from a site or email. Always close pop-ups that ask you to download any unfamiliar software, view your device repair, etc.
To help keep yourself and your system safe from pop-ups, disable them in settings by following the following steps:
- On your computer, open your preferred browser
- Open the settings
- In the Privacy and Security section, open the site settings
- Go to "Pop-ups and redirects" and toggle off where it says "Allowed"
And then whenever there's a pop-up, the browser will block :
5. Download Things Only From Trusted Sources
When you download something, make sure the website is secure or that you are downloading from a trusted source.
Someone can always trick you into telling you something wrong/tricky and let you download a product that would damage your computer. These products may contain viruses such as malware, trojans, and more, so you should avoid them.
6. Use Secure Networks
When you connect to the Internet and visit different websites, check whether it's a safe or unsafe source. This is important because sharing your personal information via an unsafe website means that the data may be leaked or stolen and may cause you harm.
Here's how to check whether the site is safe:
- Just check beside the website's URL in the address bar – if it shows "Not Secure" then it means it's not a secured website.
- At the beginning of the website's URL, it should include "HTTPS" (the "s" means secure). If it's just "HTTP" then it is an unsecured website.
7. Be Careful When Using Public Networks
When your device is connected to any public network, such as the café's public wifi network, you may be vulnerable to attacks. Do not use websites where you need to enter your passwords or any other personal information if you are connected to that network.
If an attacker has access to this wifi network, they can steal your data. This can lead to attacks by a man in the middle (MITM) where the attacker can access the information that passes between you and the website you are using (meaning that if you enter any personal or important information such as passwords and credit card details, so this information will also be available to the attacker).
This happens because the majority of these public networks are not encrypted!
Bottom Line
Before you go, just be aware that there are equal advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet. But if you're always careful while browsing the Internet, the Internet can help work more effectively.
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