We use this blog to mainly to talk about personal security and self-defense, but we have rarely considered our safety in the online world. Often people try to separate our online activity from our daily life by saying that the things we do on the computer are not a part of "real life". While it is easy to understand what this is supposed to mean, it is not entirely true. The Internet is an integrated part of our lives, especially among younger generations. We do our shopping on the Internet, we meet new people, organize events and so much more! So, how is it a fool's errand to think about one's safety on the Internet? Today, we will give you 5 fresh tips on how to stay safe on the Internet!
5 Tips to Keep Yourself Safe on the Internet
Number 1
Be careful where you shop! While nobody can steal your wallet online, they can certainly steal your credit card number, PIN code, account details, passwords or other sensitive data. So, how do you know if an online store is credible enough to do your shopping there? Well, search for obvious signs of trust. For example, our website YourGreatestProtection.Com has been online for quite a few years which is an obvious sign of trust. But aside from that, we use secure 128bit SSL connection during your shopping/checkout process. You can most easily see this in the URL. If the page where you are requires to enter your credit card details has an URL starting with "https://" you can be sure that your details are secured. You can read more about secure hyper text transfer protocol and SSL on WikiPedia.
Like in the "real world", you should observe things around you!
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Number 2
Don't give your password to anyone and be careful where you enter it! Over the years scam artists and hackers have come up with a million ideas on how to steal passwords. However, over 90% ideas need to trick you in order to work. In the past a very popular method was sending fake email messages or hacking companies and using their email accounts to ask their clients to confirm their password details. Remember - never give your password to anyone, especially not via email! Email is just plain hypertext that can easily be stolen.
Another popular tactic is phishing. For this to work someone makes a fake website and has people put their personal details so that they can register or log-in. A very popular trick in 2009 was the "Facebook home page" scam. Hackers created a website that looked identically like facebook and has a domain name such as "faccebook.com" so that it was hard to spot the difference from the original website.
Number 3
Use strong passwords, and don't just have one master password! You should have strong passwords for your most important accounts, but they should all be different from each other. These don't have to be a random mix of characters, numbers and symbols. In general, it is a good idea to take some sort of long word (or two, three shorter ones) that holds some meaning to you and add some random numbers and symbols at the start and at the beginning of it. This is not the safest method, but it usually much better than what you already have, and it is easy to remembers.
A lot of people actually used these passwords and got hacked.
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However, these words shouldn't be your nicknames, or the names of your loved ones. The numbers themselves should also not be a reference to some major date in your life such as the day of your marriage or the birth of your child.
Number 4
Have a good anti-virus program installed on your computer and be careful what your download. A lot of anti-virus software that we have today also provides you with protection while you surf the Internet. Even free software such as AVG or Avast has a special feature that warns you when you enter suspicious websites or download dangerous content. Make sure to keep your anti-virus updated and to scan your computer every two to three weeks.
Number 5
Get our free eBook on how to protect yourself from identity theft online and even get a 10% discount coupon! Identity theft is a rising concern and our free eBook is here to help you protect your identity and personal data. You can download our free eBook on this link and you will also get a special digital coupon that you can use to get a 10% discount for any purchase you make our webstore!
If you have any questions or comments and/or would like to share your own tips with us, post them in the comments bellow or contact us via any of these social media channels.
Thank you for reading this and have a wonderful day!
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