In this article, we discussed the tips for keeping data safe online. We also talked about the meaning of data, and online.<\/p>\n
Definition <\/strong><\/p>\n Data <\/strong>is the quantities, characters, or symbols on which operations are performed by a computer, which may be stored and transmitted in the form of electrical signals and recorded on magnetic, optical, or mechanical recording media.<\/p>\n Online, <\/strong>in a generic sense, refers to when an electronic device is on and connected to other devices, such as another computer, a network or a device such as a printer. More recently, the term online has come to mean connected to the Internet. In this case, either a person may be online when he or she is using the Internet, or the computer itself may be said to online when it has established an Internet connection.<\/strong><\/p>\n Tips for keeping data safe online<\/strong><\/p>\n If cybercriminals seize your data, there can be serious consequences. Here are the essential online safety tips to keep your data secured.<\/p>\n \u00a0Make sure you\u2019re using a secure internet connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Although using public Wi-Fi is not recommended, it\u2019s sometimes inevitable when you are out and about. But, when you go online in a public place and use a public Wi-Fi connection, you have no direct control over its security, which could leave you defenseless to cyberattacks. So, if you are using public Wi-Fi, avoid carrying out personal transactions that use sensitive data, such as online banking or online shopping.<\/p>\n Choose strong passwords<\/strong><\/p>\n Passwords are one of the biggest weak spots when it comes to cybersecurity. People often choose passwords that are easy to remember and, therefore, easy for hackers to crack with hacking software. In addition to this, using the same password for multiple sites puts your data at further risk. If hackers obtain your permits from one site, they can potentially access other websites which use the same login details.<\/p>\n Enable multi-factor authentication where you can<\/strong><\/p>\n Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that asks users to provide two or more verification methods to access an online account. For example, instead of simply asking for a username or password, multifactor authentication goes further by requesting additional information, such as:<\/p>\n Keep software and operating systems updated<\/strong><\/p>\n Developers are constantly working to make products safe, monitoring the latest threats and rolling out security patches in case of liabilities in their software. By using the latest versions of your operating systems and apps, you will benefit from the latest security patches. This is especially important for apps that contain payment, health or other sensitive information about a user.<\/p>\n Check that websites look and feel reliable<\/strong><\/p>\n For any website you visit, especially ones you transact with (such as e-commerce sites), it’s vital that they are reliable. A key element to look out for is an\u00a0SSL security certificate This means, lookout for URLs that start with \u201cHTTPS\u201d rather than \u201cHTTP\u201d (the \u201cS\u201d stands for \u201csecure\u201d) and have a padlock icon in the address bar. Other trust signals include:<\/p>\n Review your privacy settings and understand privacy policies<\/strong><\/p>\n Marketers love to know all about you, and so do hackers. Both can learn a lot from your browsing and social media usage. But you can take charge of how much information third-parties can access. Both web browsers and mobile operating systems have settings to protect your privacy online. Social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, amongst others, have privacy-enhancing settings that you can activate. It\u2019s worth taking a while to review your privacy settings across the board and make sure they are set to a level you are comfortable with.<\/p>\n Many of us accept privacy policies without reading them, but with so much data used for marketing and advertising (and hacking) purposes, it’s a good idea to review the privacy policies of websites and apps you use, in order to understand how your data is collected and analyzed. However, bear in mind that even if your settings are set to private, very little data online is totally private. Hackers, website administrators and law enforcement could still have access to the information you regard as private.<\/p>\n A careless click can expose your personal data online or infect your device with\u00a0malware That\u2019s why it’s important to browse consciously and avoid certain types of online content \u2013 such as links from untrusted sources and spam emails, online quizzes, clickbait, \u2018free\u2019 offers or unsolicited ads.<\/p>\n Make sure your devices are secure<\/strong><\/p>\n With up to\u00a060% of people\u00a0using mobile devices for shopping and finding information online, instead of a desktop, it\u2019s important that they are secured correctly. With all your devices \u2013 phones, computers, tablets, smartwatches, smart TVs, etc. \u2013 it’s good practice to use passwords or passcodes and other security options like fingerprint readers or face-scanning technology. These measures will reduce the likelihood of a cyberattack or your personal data being stolen by hackers.<\/p>\n Backup data regularly<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s important to backup important personal information on external hard drives and regularly create new backups.\u00a0ransomeware\u2013 a type of malware \u2013 involves cybercriminals locking your computer so you can\u2019t access valuable files. Backing up your data \u2013 and your family\u2019s data \u2013 helps mitigate the impact of a ransomware attack. You can protect yourself further with appropriate security software. Other forms of malware deny you access to your personal data by overwhelming your system or simply deleting files, so be careful.<\/p>\n \u00a0Close unused accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n Over the years, many of us collected old accounts that we no longer use. These can be a weak link in terms of safety when using the internet \u2013 not only are old accounts more likely to have weaker passwords, but some of those sites may have poor data protection policies. In addition, cybercriminals could piece together the information you have left in them, for example, old social media profiles \u2013 such as your date of birth or location, etc. \u2013 to build up a picture of your identity in an attempt to hack you later. As a result, we recommend closing your old online accounts and requesting that your data be deleted from the relevant third-party servers.<\/p>\n Be careful what you download<\/strong><\/p>\n A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware, which can be used to open a \u201cbackdoor\u201d to your machine. Malware might be camouflaged as an app \u2013 anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the weather. Or, it could be hidden on a malicious website\u00a0that attempts to install malware\u00a0on your device.<\/p>\n\n
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