Top 3 Tips for Staying Safe Online. Our lives are more integrated with the Internet than ever before.
By October 2023, there were 5.3 billion Internet users worldwide: that’s equivalent to nearly two thirds of the global population. Unfortunately, no website or individual is safe from the immense danger imbued in the online world.
While the dawn of the digital age has fostered social innovation and celebrated technologies, dangerous criminal activity is a constant threat. Whether you’ve just joined a gaming site or you’re looking for ways to protect elderly relatives, it’s so important to know how to stay safe online.
Why is the Internet dangerous?
From online blackmail to the Dark Web, an illegal marketplace for the trade of illicit goods, using any connected device comes with serious risk. For everyday users, the biggest threat comes from cybercriminals in a type of scam known as a phishing attack.
The latest cybercrime statistics are enough to alarm any user of the Internet. Almost a third of UK businesses are attacked at least weekly, and the average breach costing thousands of pounds.
Personal users need to protect their accounts and sensitive information too. Hackers try almost anything to steal your personal details, including your date of birth, address, and bank account data. With this information, a criminal may attempt a serious crime known as identity fraud.
How to stay safe online: 3 essential tips
Create strong passwords.
Don’t make it easy for a stranger to log into any of your accounts.
Try to think of strong, unique, and secure passwords to use on websites, games and applications. The best password is one made of a compilation of numbers, letters and special characters. If you forget passwords easily, it could be worth using a password manager to store them in one central place.
Never use the same password for all your online accounts: if a hacker successfully guesses your password, all your accounts will instantly be compromised.
Use secure connections.
If you play online games or use a server with other users, you need to trust your connection.
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) forms a connection between your computer and a remote server, creating a private connection that masks your IP address and effectively masks your location.
When choosing which online games to play it’s important to find a reputable online casino or game server. Check the reviews of each gaming website and the servers they use to see what current and past players have to say about the site and make sure you know what red flags to look out for.
Likewise, if another online user makes you feel pressured or uncomfortable at any time, you should trust your instincts.
Know the risks.
Lastly, you should always be cautious when you’re online, no matter if you’re shopping or gaming. Checking valid reviews for shops and businesses is prudent, especially if you’ve spotted a deal that seems too good to be true.
If you must order goods or services online, make sure that you’re only paying through secure payment portals.
You can check if a website’s connection is private by looking for a small padlock icon next to the URL, which indicates an SSL Certificate.
Make sure that you’ve checked and changed your privacy settings accordingly. Two-factor authentication is a brilliant way to make sure that you’re notified if someone else tries to access your account. Above all, keep your wits about you and don’t hesitate to ask for a second opinion if anything makes you uncomfortable online.
Hope you’ve found our article, Top 3 Tips for Staying Safe Online useful.
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