The internet is a vast and dark place. We use it for communication, social networking, to get 'into the loop' and others, but it is not an innocent land where people get their milk and honey and then rest. It is home to countless abusers, both large and small.
You'll never know you're the victim until it uses your data to destroy your life. This is why a lot of us choose to adopt some sort of internet security system. Internet security is not a single 'Jericho'-type wall that you need to set up to guard yourself against all threats to your personal data. It is a whole systematic strategy that has a lot of levels and areas. In order to protect yourself when surfing the net, you need to come up with an array of techniques and habits. So, Here are some tips to keep you safe while you surf the internet.
Personal Virtual Private Network [VPN]
If you or your company has many sensitive data on hand, then a VPN will help you protect your files and other confidential documents. VPNs adds security and privacy information by providing a channel for other computers to connect to one another and share information without the risks of the data leaking. Employees can access the company's files anywhere across the globe without security problems as dedicated connections and encryption are in place.
Think before you click
Never click on links in messages from people you don’t know or vaguely know. These phishing emails have links that lead to websites that can lure you into giving personal information or download malware to your computer. You should even be wary with emails from people you do know if it looks or sounds suspicious. Hackers can create a malicious email that looks like it came from your best friend’s email account.
Use a secure password
We have all signed up for some website with a basic password, thinking there is no way that someone would want to hack our account. But that may not be the case. Setting an easy password on one website often leads to that password being used across many websites. The easier you make it for a thief to brute-force access your account, the more likely you are to have your other accounts hacked. By establishing a mixture of characters, numbers, and letters into a password, recommended to be 10 characters or more, you add a high level of difficulty for any brute-force password theft.
Kick-butt passwords.
Do away with the “Fitguy1982” password and use an extremely uncrackable one like 9&4yiw2pyqx#. Phrases are good too. Regularly change passwords and don’t use the same passwords for critical accounts. For more tips on how to create strong passwords, go tohttp://passwordday.org/
Use two-factor authentication whenever possible.
Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security when logging into a website, be it e-mail, banking, or other websites. Some websites, such as Google, will text you a code when you login to verify your identity, while others have small devices that you can carry around to generate the code. Authenticator apps are also available on all major smartphone platforms. Other types of two-factor authentication do exist as well, so look in the settings of your banking, shopping, and e-mail hosts for the option.
Helpful links:
- Google Security: https://www.google.com/settings/security
- Facebook Security: https://www.facebook.com/help/securitytips
- Twitter Security: https://support.twitter.com/articles/76036-safe-tweeting-the-basics
- Secure Password Generator: http://passwordsgenerator.net/
- Google Chrome Security Settings: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/114836?hl=en
- Firefox Security Settings: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/firefox/privacy-and-security
- Internet Explorer Security Settings: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-internet-explorer-security-settings#1TC=windows-7
- Microsoft Outlook Two-step authentication: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/two-step-verification-faq
- Google Two-Step authentication: https://support.google.com/a/answer/175197?hl=en
Post a Comment