We can be victims of cyber attacks in different ways every day. For example, if shopping websites, banks and other financial websites are subjected to cyber attacks, then our personal data is also at risk. In such a case, you may be able to change the password and get a new credit card. But this is not enough to keep yourself away from all these online risks, all your information can go into the hands of hackers even from outside or at home. An example of this can be Ransomware attacks, where hackers are constantly destroying users by encrypting all PC data and demanding huge sums of money.
You don't have to do great things or be an expert to keep yourself safe online, you just need to be aware and take some security measures. So in today's tune we are going to look at 12 tips that you can follow to stay safe online.
1. Install antivirus and keep it up to date
There is no substitute for antivirus to keep all data safe on PC. Although the name is just antivirus, it will protect your PC from not only viruses but also all malicious programs on the internet.
Ransomware encrypts your files and demands money, Trojan horses steal private data by masquerading as genuine programs, and malware enters PCs and automatically runs various services. If you have a good quality antivirus then you can be safe from all these harmful viruses, malware.
It is better to enable auto-update in antivirus so that your PC can be prepared in advance for any problem. , almost every anti-virus has an icon on the taskbar, green when there is no problem and yellow or red when there is a problem. You should pay attention to the icon and take necessary action on any color other than green.
Many may wonder if Windows' built-in antivirus app is enough. In many cases, Windows Defender can fend off various cyber attacks, but third-party apps can give you better security in this regard. Buy an antivirus and install it on your PC. The free version will work better than your default antivirus in many cases, but the premium version is no match.
Renew your antivirus every year. Another thing is that if you feel that your antivirus does not offer a certain security layer, you can also use other free apps, which will give you certain benefits.
2. Monitor installed security tools
We may not know it but our devices often have great apps installed that can help us with various cyber issues. Try to learn about all those apps, learn how to use them. How many people know that we all have features like Find Lost Phone? But with this feature you can find your lost phone.
Your antivirus app might have a lot of great protection features but you don't know it. You may be shifting to another antivirus without knowing. For that go to the apps and find out about all the features well. Your security app may have important features disabled that need to be enabled for your PC, so be sure to get a good idea of all the options.
You can use the AMTSO (Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization) website to know whether all the features of your antivirus app are properly enabled, it will help you to know the detailed information.
3. Use unique passwords every time
The first method that hackers follow in different hacking is that they try to crack passwords using different password combinations. Passwords collected from anywhere are tried in different places. Suppose the hacker somehow found your email password, now he will use the same password and username to hack your other accounts. There are many who use one password everywhere. It can never be done.
Try to use a different password for each account you use. You can use a password manager to make this task easier. There are many good password managers available in the market that will generate unique passwords for your online accounts.
The advantage of using a password manager is that you don't have to remember all of your passwords, you just have to remember one master password. If you login to the manager with master password, it will automatically help you to login and view passwords of all online accounts. At the same time, it will provide strong passwords without having to go through the trouble of typing repeatedly or doing time-consuming tasks like forget password.
4. Use a VPN
Home network Wi-Fi and public Wi-Fi are never the same. Using public Wi-Fi can easily expose your data to third parties. And a good VPN can save you from such risks. VPNs will encrypt your internet traffic as soon as you connect and transfer it through their own servers so third parties can't steal your data even if they want to.
A VPN will also help hide your IP, so online advertising companies can't show you targeted ads. Companies will look at the address that the VPN shows. Moreover, various blocks and
5. Use Two-Factor Authentication
Sometimes Two-Factor Authentication annoys us, but remember it can keep your account more secure. We all probably know about Two-Factor Authentication. An additional layer of security beyond username and password. The advantage of this is that even if the hacker knows your password, they cannot enter without the passcode. Today, most online services, including Gmail, Evernote, and Dropbox, have two-factor authentication.
Two-Factor Authentication is verified in two ways, some codes are given in advance that can be used once and instant code is sent, but instead of sending code, features like call, fingerprint, face lock can also be used.
Password managers also have two-factor authentication security. Be sure to enable Two-Factor Authentication in Password Manager for maximum security.
6. Use the passcode
If a passcode is available, it's optional, but I think it's wise to enable it for security. As our phone contains important data so passcode enable can protect our data.
Ignore the four-digit PIN on most smartphones, use biometric security and enter a strong passcode. Remember that even if Touch ID is enabled on your iPhone, don't make the mistake of setting a passcode.
iOS devices have a six-digit option, ignore it, go to Settings, click Touch ID & Passcode and select Change Passcode to set a strong password.
You can also set strong security measures on Android devices as well. Enable all security methods from screen-lock settings.
7. Pay via smartphone
Credit cards are becoming outdated with time and are not very secure at the same time. Try paying with a smartphone instead of a credit card. You can use Apple Pay or similar methods on Android. You will get various features to make secure payments in the apps.
Setting up a smartphone as a payment device isn't too difficult. Its setup begins with capturing credit card info.
Payment is made by placing the device on the terminal and entering the security code and fingerprint. It is more secure than credit card because it comes with a different authentication code for each transaction. So no one can make payment except you and your smartphone.
Some smartphone payment apps can also be used to make online payments through one-time codes. Bank of America, for example, has a program called ShopSafe that generates a 16-digit security code, as well as an expiration date. The advantage is that online shopping can be done with these codes, which expire once the payment is made. As a result, the original credit card number is completely safe.
Also, credit card numbers, email addresses, phone numbers can be masked using various third-party apps, purchases can be made there, but merchants will not be able to see the original information.
8. Use different emails on different accounts
Those who are aware of their security online always use separate email addresses on separate accounts. If a bank's phishing email comes in social media email, you can easily catch it if you have two emails in two places. Because you know this email is not associated with any bank, even then the email is a phishing email.
While using one email to easily log into all apps often works well, there remains a security risk here. You can keep separate email for important work but use disposable email for random work.
Different websites require both email and username for login, in that case you select username and set different username. By giving the same username everywhere, hackers can guess what username you can provide.
9. Keep cache clear
Hackers can take a lot of information from your browsing history so always try to keep cache clear. You can clear them at regular time every day.
In Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera, you can clear unnecessary data by clicking Ctrl+Shift+Del. However, if you delete the cache all the time, there is a problem with some necessary websites, you can clear the cache by skipping certain websites.
10. Turn off the browser's Save Password feature
Most browsers have built-in password managers, which ask permission to save passwords before logging in to any website. I don't recommend it, you can use password manager to save passwords.
Note that when you install a third party password manager, there is an option that says, "Do you want to import passwords from the browser? If the password manager can import passwords from the browser, so can other apps. So it's better not to take such a risk."
