Tips or Ways on How to Stay Safe Online
Introduction: The fact that the internet is home to some sketchy personalities is no secret, yet being safe online does not need turning off your computer’s internet connection. Instead, practise mindfulness and consider the following tips or ways on how to stay safe online.
The Internet plays a significant role in many people’s daily life. It’s enjoyable, useful, and educational, but it may also be hazardous, regardless of how secure you feel when surfing. By developing a habit of safe Internet use, you can safeguard your information and identity for years to come.
Tips or ways on how to stay safe online
With these online safety advices, you can learn how to protect yourself, your family, and your gadgets. So, keep reading and know tips and ways on how to stay safe online.
Utilize a secure, unique password
- When generating a password for your account, ensure that it has a combination of numbers, symbols, and characters in both capital and lowercase. Avoid reusing passwords across numerous accounts. It’s more difficult to remember, but it will keep your data lot safer.
- Longer passwords are always more secure, so consider including a favourite quotation or lyric from a song, book, or film. Bear in mind that some websites have length limitations on passwords, so be careful to adhere to those as well.
- Avoid using obvious passwords such as “123456” or “password,” or data about you that others may readily discover, such as a nickname, your street address, or the nickname of a pet, and avoid using the same password many times.
Utilize a password manager to maintain the security and organisation of your passwords
Password managers create and store secure, unique passwords for each one of your accounts automatically. Simply generate a single master password for the manager and trust it to keep the others secure.
- Some password managers are accessible for free, while others are offered for a cost.
- 1Password and LastPass are two popular and reputable password managers. You can locate others by conducting an online search.
- You may also utilise the built-in password synchronisation feature of your browser, but this is regarded less secure and more susceptible to hackers, so proceed with caution.
Multi-factor authentication should be enabled for all of your accounts
Multi-factor authentication adds another layer of security to an account by needing additional information to log in, such as a code delivered to your phone. This service is available from a variety of significant email providers and social media platforms.
- To see whether an account uses multi-factor authentication, navigate to the Settings page for the site.
- This additional step may seem inconvenient, but it will keep your information secure than relying just on a password.
Create accounts on only reliable websites to stay safe online
Consider your options very carefully before creating an account on a website, even if it only needs you to provide your email address. Regardless of how secure your passwords are, utilising them on hazardous websites puts your data at risk.
- Avoid websites with misspellings or poor language in their URLs, as they may be harmful clones of reputable websites.
- Additionally, keep an eye out for websites with a high volume of pop-ups, or URLs that contain numbers or nonsense.
When you’re finished with a website, log out
When you log into a website, your browser stores a cookie that uniquely identifies you and, if stolen, can damage your account. This is particularly problematic on sites that save personal information, such as your bank account or credit card number, so it’s always a good idea to log out after you’re finished. It is one of the best tips or ways on how to stay safe online.
- Log out of every website that you visit when using a public computer or network.
- Log from any online banking or shopping site you are currently using, including those on your home computer and network.
- It’s generally acceptable to have your home computer connected into accounts such as email or social networking, as long as you remember to lock the computer whenever you leave it.
Before you hit on the any links, please double-check them
When reading email or browsing websites, ensure that you are familiar with and trust any links before clicking on them.
One technique to determine whether a link is secure is to hover your cursor over it. This will display a sample of the entire URL in the notification center of your web browser. Check that the preview link points to the proper website—you may verify the correct website by performing a Google search for the company name.
Utilize a VPN in conjunction with your Wi-Fi connection
A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and an internet server, ensuring that no one can monitor or access your data via your internet connection. It’s an excellent (and legal) way to safeguard your connection at home and even while using public Wi-Fi.
The only disadvantage to the improved security provided by a VPN? It may cause your internet connection to slow down. This is because the VPN secures your data by routing it through another server. We suppose you win some and lose some.
Utilize antivirus and antimalware protection software
You should never browse the web unprotected. Even if you’re on a budget, there are free and low-cost anti-hacking program available.
In any event, paying a little fee for the programme is well worth it to avoid the headaches associated with malware—or worse. Additionally, if you currently have antivirus or malware detection software installed, ensure that it is kept current.
