In a highly interconnected, digital world, worries about cybercrime have significantly increased. Hackers now have many ways to get into your online accounts and steal personal information like bank details, driver’s licenses, Social Security Numbers, etc.
Once data is compromised, it can be sold onto black markets, leading to identity thefts, death threats, and so much more.
In such a situation, it is better to apply some simple tips that we’re going to share with you in this post to stay protected.
These may not guarantee complete protection. However, our discussed methods are sure to add an extra layer of security to your digital identity. Let’s get started.
Below is a rundown of all the simple tips you can follow to stay protected in an intricate online world.
Today, almost every other online platform requires you to create a strong password that is tough to brute-force. Companies recommend setting the passcodes to at least 12 characters with a mix of upper-case and lower-case characters.
In addition, you should use digits in the passcodes and leverage special characters like ‘@’, ‘&’, etc., to add a layer of security to your account.
Getting a step ahead of this, we suggest you utilize the blank text in your passwords as well in combination with other aforementioned elements.
|
Strong Password |
Weak Password |
|
“S tay hid den@1921” |
“maryjane123” |
|
“I tisTrish@&Otis1” |
“Shawnabott1999” |
As you can see in the above examples, we incorporated empty characters with the visible ones to create a password that is difficult to crack. Such passwords might be crackable in future but currently all the brute force algos are designed for ASCII character set and invisible character or blank character is not in the ASCII list.
Public Wi-Fi is free and convenient to use. You can catch up with friends and family while sipping your favorite cup of coffee at a restaurant.
However, such networks are also the easiest way to lose your personal information online and most internet users don’t even know about it.
Think of it this way, when you connect to a public network, your device gets a public IP address which can either be static or dynamic.
Public IPs are open ports for hackers as they’re easy to access and everyone is free to connect to them. That’s why it is said to avoid public Wi-Fi as this can provide an opening for cybercriminals to try to hack into your device.
However, if you have urgent matters to attend to and want to use the free internet anyway, then using a premium VPN is a viable option.
Without a doubt, the 2FA (2 Factor Authorization) technique is most suitable for the protection of personal information online. It may feel like a nuisance initially to enter codes sent through SMS, email, etc., whenever you enter your account from a new device. However, all of this is done to keep you protected and safe from hackers.
Many online platforms have 2FA on by default, while others may ask you to do so by going into your settings/profile menu. Enable it and stay protected at all costs.
Phishing scams are the most common types of online scams where a hacker may send you links from reputable online vendors and services. However, in reality, these are URLs that are made with malicious intent.
For instance, the hacker may send you a link like https://neftlix.com. Did you notice that there is a spelling mistake in the domain name? This is intentional to confuse users into committing to enter their personal information on this site. However, you must not fall for this trap and avoid clicking or accessing such links.
It is recommended that you limit your online sharing. Don’t expose everything, your physical address, pictures of workplaces, etc., on social media platforms. These sites are made for leisure use and they must be kept as such.
Whatever you post online can be used against you for extortion, bribery, etc. Furthermore, cybercriminals can threaten to leak private chats to the public and much more. So, always be careful when interacting on social media and online platforms like Discord, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.
Finally, we recommend you keep your devices up to date with the latest security patches. Also, scan for malware and other viruses on the device using any antivirus software of your choice. This will give you an idea of potential problems and allow you to fix them before it's too late.
Furthermore, review all the permissions you have provided to 3rd party apps on your smartphone, laptop, or other types of devices. Don’t allow any unwanted data leakages from your side unless you know or trust the app’s publisher completely.
Defending your personal data online is of great importance in the digital age. Improving your security depends on implementing easy but powerful tactics like using strong passwords, staying off public Wi-Fi, turning on two-factor authentication, noticing phishing scams, limiting online sharing, and keeping software up to date.
Though no approach guarantees total security, these habits can help to reduce threats and safeguard your digital identity against cybercriminals.