Digital technology is famous for its rapid transformations. It seems to have changed our entire world many times over in just a few decades. This is why, year to year, we should be keeping up to date with new ways to protect our identity online. After all, with our family logging on, and threats advancing in their technological prowess, we also need to stay on our toes.
Here are some top tips for staying safe online in the coming year.
Cyberattacks Are Growing
Cyberattacks are on the rise. With things like social media accounts increasing in value, and our digital identities multiplying, the sites for vulnerabilities are also expanding. As the digital realm occupies more of our lives, it is increasingly becoming a site for potential insecurity.
It has even become a tool for geopolitics. Whether it is Russia and the United States or Iran launching cyberattacks against Albania, there is no doubt that cyber-defense is an increasingly important aspect in our national and personal lives. It is a growing presence in our news, so we should learn to take it more seriously.
While there is little the average citizen can do to protect the nation’s infrastructure, there is plenty they can do to keep themselves safe in this climate.
Only Use Safe and Secure Sites
Because it is such a common part of our experience on the internet, we sometimes forget to think about it and how to do it better. However, navigating from website to website, clicking blindly, can potentially lead to problems. It is important to only use trusted websites. Even familiar websites that have not been reviewed may not have great data protection and security protocols.
If you like gambling, check out these evaluations of the safe and trusted online casinos. Their strict vetting process helps them recommend only casinos that safeguard your data and funds. They investigate licenses, make sure the bonuses are fair, and help steer you away from blacklisted online casinos. If you’re looking for a new online casino, check out this guide first!
Going to the wrong sites, especially where we enter our personal and banking information, can be an unnecessary risk. Make sure to read expert reviews before creating new accounts willy-nilly.
Practice Password Hygiene
We all know that the easiest thing to do is to use the same password for all of our accounts. Whether it is work, finance, or social media, it can seem impossible to remember all the passwords we have. While our browsers can save passwords for each site, this can be buggy sometimes, or a problem if we want to log in from somewhere else.
This is why you should invest in a top-notch password manager. These will save all of your passwords and usernames in a secure location. You only have to remember or write down your one master password. Some of them will cost money, while others will be free of charge. This guide will help you figure out which one works best for you.
Because this one master password is the key to all your other passwords, you should make it one that is hard to guess. Include special characters. Include numbers. Include upper and lower case letters. You only have to remember this one password, so you can really
Be Wary of Strange Emails
The rise of spam has been one of the biggest problems in the internet age. Most of this advertisement related mail is relatively harmless. They want to sell you their latest product, or they want to offer you a discount on last season’s collection. However, some of these seemingly innocent emails can be quite dangerous.
Many of them will contain personalized messages. Sometimes hackers can find names in your contacts and write to you using those names, claiming to have an urgent problem. They then tell you they need a large sum of money to save their life in the hospital, or to bail a family member out of jail. These are the truly dangerous emails.
Before acting upon these, make sure to double check them by speaking with someone you know and trust. A video call or face-to-face meeting is ideal, so there is no way for anything to be faked. You can even ask them something only they would know, something without any digital footprint.
