Digital security has become a very important skill that individuals need to know in this generation. With the rise in internet scams and the need for safety it’s good to learn how you can protect yourself on the internet and avoid having your information leaked anywhere.
Securing your devices is a simple process one can do. In this generation it seems hard to believe no one doesn’t already have antivirus or anti-malware installed on their own computers or phones (if you’re reading this and saying that it’s already installed through on your computer when you purchase it, you need to purchase a plan typically to receive all the features). Besides the usage of security systems in your devices here are ways to secure your information:
- Understand phishing scams: These scams try tricking people into giving attackers personal information, such as banking information, SSN, passwords, etc. They’ll try using phone calls, texts or emails generally.
- Watch what you click: This goes without saying, don’t open random links sent my scammers. These can be the links you receive from random numbers or emails.
- Avoid fake websites: You can tell a website is fake by checking for HTTPS in the URL, which ensures the site uses a secure connection. Also verify URLs, they could mimic real websites but contain slight variations. Such as misspelled domain names or include top-level domains. Make sure to inspect the site for security certificates and website content. If there are no certificates or seals from authorities like DigiCert or Symantec, it’s most likely fake; take note of grammatical errors, low quality images or intrusive advertisements, mainly anything that makes the site seem poorly made, which can indicate that it’s a scam.
- Install anti-virus and anti-malware security systems on devices: There are many different options to use for security software. You could buy a package from the sites normally but they do provide a free option which works good (depending on the site) but lacks features that could limit your protection. Here are some programs available: AVG internet security,
- Update software regularly: Keeping software up to date is good practice since it will keep all of your devices operating systems updated with latest security features.
- Use strong passwords and use a password manager: Everyone has that one main password they use like a pets name or random object. It’s good to try and create a strong password for your important websites/documents. Using a password manager is helpful when trying to create these passwords and having them saved. Most browsers like Microsoft edge and Google already have this feature built in so there are no worries. But try to have your passwords saved somewhere else incase you lose them.
- Know where your most sensitive date is: Try to remove sensitive data files from your files once you’re done using them, incase you get hacked it helps prevent the chances of them finding important documents in your files.
- Keep your data backed up: Incase of hacking or just simply replacing a device, it’s good to back up your data so nothing gets lost.