A recent study shows that we handle our cell phones 2,617
times a day, on average. Canadians, who are among the world's most avid
Internet users, visit more websites and spend more time online than residents
of any other country. In the past 24 hours, how many times have you checked
your bank account balance using a mobile app? How many times have you checked
Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites? How often did you check your
emails, download a file, or shop online? We use the Internet for all of these
purposes on a daily basis without paying attention. However, everything we do
online increases our risk of being the target of a cyber-attack.
With the amount of time we spend at computers and on our
smartphones, a few simple precautions can go a long way in keeping us and our
loved ones safe online. To guard against hackers, follow the five tips below.
1. Your
birthday is impossible to forget… but makes a very bad password (same goes for
your dog's name). The most important
online protection measure is simple: Create unique passwords for each website
and change them frequently. This task may seem boring and complex, but with a
few basic strategies, you can increase your level of online safety without much
effort. Follow the suggestions below to create strong and secure passwords.
- Make sure your passwords are at least eight characters long.
- Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Technically, you can use your pet's name, your lucky numbers, or the name of the street you grew up on. But for more efficiency, combine these different elements, always keeping in mind the two previous basic rules.
If you
prefer to write down your passwords so you don't forget them, keep them in a
safe place. Not ever write down a PIN next to the username it is associated
with, and change it slightly when you transcribe it (for example, you could
omit the third character or add a letter at the creation of each PIN). Another
great option is to subscribe to an online password manager, a service that
keeps your codes in a digital safe.
2. Provide
only what is strictly necessary: As a
consumer, your personal information is held by the companies you do business
with, while the majority of the websites you visit, for shopping or otherwise,
require you to share a host of details of a personal nature. In any case,
provide only the essentials. When making an online transaction, only give your
mailing address and credit card number (even better: use an online payment
system, which will prevent you from having to share your credit card number on
multiple sites). A good rule to follow is to fill in only the mandatory fields
(usually marked with an asterisk) and to omit any optional information.
3. Protect
all your devices: phone, tablet, and computer.
You wouldn't leave your house without locking the door. Why do you leave your electronic
devices unprotected? The inconvenience of having to unlock your devices using a
verification method (enter a password, scan your fingerprint, perform a pattern
with your fingertip, etc.) each time you use it seems minor compared to the
threatens to have your personal information - your photos and your credit card
number, for example - fall into the wrong hands.
4. Learn to
recognize phishing: Phishing is a
fraudulent scheme whereby a hacker impersonates a legitimate organization to
trick targets into sharing their personal information. Your best protection
against phishing is to always be critical and be wary of any email that asks
you to share information of a personal nature. If in doubt, leave your inbox
and go directly to the company's website. To find out, you can even call the
latter. And remember: not ever click on a link in an email that you think is
suspicious.
The repercussions of most cyber-attacks are relatively minor (canceling your credit card and ordering a new one, for example). However, some serious virtual threats exist. It is therefore essential to know the best practices to employ online and the safeguards that exist against potential risks.
Install Protegent360 Antivirus Total security this antivirus to protect your email viruses and your password also protected.
Comments
Post a Comment