As of June 2021, 55.1% of the world’s population has access to the Internet. It has become an integral part of modern life. However, many users are not particularly concerned about their online safety. We often share personal information too intensively without thinking of the consequences, we leave passwords saved in our browsers, and we naively believe that the Internet is a friendly and safe environment.
1. Be careful when searching for celebrity information
Anti-virus software developer McAfee annually compiles a list of celebrities who are dangerous to google due to the possibility of catching a computer virus or going to a malicious site. The easiest way to run into scammers is to form a search query with the star’s name and the words “photos,” “watch for free,” “torrent,” “download.” This ranking has been done for 12 years, and usually singers and actors are at the top of the list.
2. Do not send confidential information via social networking messengers.
By confidential information, we mean bank card numbers, PINs, and insurance information. If you e-mail scans or photos of important documents, it is better to delete them as soon as you send or receive them. Don’t keep them in your inbox. 3.
Don’t forget to sign out of your account if you’re accessing the social network or the mail from another device
If you do forget to end your session after working on someone else’s device, click the “Sign out on all devices” link in your account menu or simply change your password.
4. Turn off Wi-Fi when you’re not using it, and don’t trust untested Wi-Fi connections
Try not to keep the Wi-Fi on your smartphone or tablet on all the time: this will not only keep you safe, but also save battery power. Better yet, turn off the Wi-Fi auto-connect feature. This way you’ll protect yourself from connecting to insecure networks that don’t ask for a password.
These are the networks that scammers use most often to steal your personal data. It’s also not safe to access online banks and other important services and applications from open Wi-Fi networks in cafes or on the street. It’s better to use mobile Internet for this purpose.
Better yet, choose a paid VNP for maximum protection of your transmitted data in all applications. Read about NordVPN vs CyberGhost comparison, they are two leaders VPN services in the U.S.
5. Turn off the voice assistant on your smartphone
It’s unlikely you use Siri a lot, and scammers have already learned how to withdraw money through online banking with the help of a voice assistant.
To disable Siri, on iPhone X or later models, go to Settings, select Basic, then Universal Access and the Side Button. On iPhone 8 or earlier, select the “Home Button” instead of the “Side Button.
Next, under “Press and hold to talk,” select the “Off
6. Use multiple email addresses
Have one personal email, one for work, and one for entertainment for subscriptions. This will streamline and simplify your interaction with email. It’s also important to come up with a complex password for each box. It is recommended that you change your passwords regularly, as well as update your browser and spam filters.
7. Do not run unknown files, especially those with a non-standard extension
If you received a file from an untrustworthy source or by mail from someone you don’t know, pay attention to its extension. If the file has the extension .exe, .pif, .scr, .docm, .reg, you’d better send it to VirusTotal first for checking and only then open it.
8. Read Kevin Mitnick’s book The Art of Deception.
Mitnick is a former hacker, now a writer, consultant and a cult figure in the information security environment. The book is interesting and easy to write, plus it will be very useful. You will learn how cybercriminals build trust in people by manipulating their feelings and emotions.
9. Limit the amount of personal information you post online.
Don’t post your home address online, don’t write what time you’re away or when you’re going on vacation or to a party. Try not to brag about large purchases, and in general it’s better not to advertise your level of wealth to a wider circle of people.
10. Back up your data regularly.
There’s a simple “3-2-1” rule: make 1 master copy and 2 backups. Then save those 2 backups to different physical media (e.g. an external hard drive) and 1 to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud). Don’t neglect backing up all your devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops.
Related post in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_safety
