Best practices for staying safe online

The internet is just about everywhere in the modern world. It’s difficult to go through life without interacting with it – and many of us interact with it several hundred times a day, often without realizing it.

Given the prominence of this technology, it’s vital that we develop the right healthy habits when it comes to our internet use. Doing so will help to reduce the risk of our personal details being stolen, or worse.

But what are the right healthy habits when it comes to internet use? Let’s run through a few of the more important ones.

Use Strong, Unique Passwords

A strong password is one that’s difficult to guess, and that’s unique to a particular website or service. The easiest way to compose and remember strong passwords is to have a specialised password manager do it for you.

There are a number of passwords that have already been involved in data breaches. If you’re unsure of whether yours is secure, then you might look for it amongst the more commonly used ones, with the help of sites like haveibeenpwned.com.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Multi-factor authentication involves adding an additional layer of security checks, on top of the password you input. You might have a message sent to your phone, or a security app that generates a one-time code for you. This will drive down the likelihood of your accounts being compromised.

Use a VPN for Secure Internet Connections

If you’re accessing the internet via public Wi-Fi, then you might be at risk. Anyone connected to the network could, in theory, observe your browsing activity and potentially intercept sensitive data. The best way to guard against this is with the help of a Virtual Private Network, or ‘VPN’. This is a special encrypted connection to a remote server that will fetch webpages, and submit requests, on your behalf.

Recognize and Avoid Phishing Attempts

The phishing attack is the most common, and arguably the most pernicious, form of cybercrime in the world today. These involve deceptive messages that attempt to trick users into surrendering personal information. Be wary whenever you’re asked to take urgent action to correct a problem with your account, or to claim a prize that seems too good to be true.

Be aware also that this is a rapidly evolving form of crime, and that the phishing attacks of the near future might be much more sophisticated than those of today. With the help of artificial intelligence, scammers might be able to clone voices and faces – so even video chats might not be a totally reliable form of communication.

Image by Mariakray from Pixabay

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