In the age of growing technology and our involvement with the social media platforms increases the concern for hackers and intruders in your personal space hacking your personal information. Internet security and cyber security plays a major role. People have to super careful about sharing their personal information on any of the e-platform because advancement in technology leaves rooms for potential threats like malware and hackers. But we all know, that since everything is available with just a click away and we would want to be in trend with the growing digitization. How do we make sure that we are smart enough to avoid such situations which pose a threat to our identity online? For this, we are listing down a few things that you need to keep in mind while putting your information out there in the open.
- Connected Devices:
Keep a track of how many devices are connected with the internet. In an average, a home has about five connected devices apart from computers, tablets and smartphones. Such devices are direct targets and vulnerable to any sort of attacks by a certain malware or a corrupt file. Like take for an example, while browsing via computer, you land on a page which has virus and if your computer does not have AntiVirus software, this can pose to be a serious threat to not only computer but even the personal information that your computer contains including your passwords, pins etc. This is because such viruses corrupt all your files making it difficult for you access them. To avoid such situations, one should have a backup and an Antivirus Software.
- Password Protected:
Yes, this may seem to be like an obvious thing to say but it is one of the most important thing. Make sure to have all your devices and accounts password protected. Also while setting your passwords, do not keep the same password for all your accounts. Because if one gets affected, it will affect all your accounts especially passwords for accounts related to your bank. Another important point to remember is to use a combination of special characters, numbers and letters to make your password strong enough.
- Do not trust Insecure Internet Connections:
This means that never trust open and unreliable Wi-Fi connections. Most of the time, such insecure Internet Connections carries viruses and malware with them. They are constantly on the lookout for such open devices which comes in their range and in no time your device behaves in a very weird way. When this happens, know that your device has been the target.
- But First, secure your Smartphone:
A smartphone is like trustworthy friend with whom we have the maximum interaction during the day.Always have applications and softwares installed in your phone that timely backups all your important information, track your device’s location, and remotely lock your and wipe your entire phone. All this comes super handy in cases of any theft of misplace of your phone. Also keep a lock on your device like face recognition, fingerprint, PIN or pattern which acts like an extra layer of defense.
- Install a Firewall:
Most of the smartphones and computers nowadays come with a built in firewall. A firewall helps prevent hackers, viruses, and worms to reach your device and access your personal information. In case, the package does not include the firewall, be proactive to get it installed which offers the security functions according to your need. You can even configure a hardware firewall to offer wider network defense.
- Disconnect Devices:
Whenever you do not need the Internet, make sure to disconnect your devices when not in use. Devices like smartphones, computers, tablets, televisions, video cameras and other devices needs to be disconnected so that you can prevent a potential hacking to get connected into your video or audio streaming.
Conclusion
We have listed the major ones; others can also include setting default settings which automatically disconnects you from an internet connection in case of not using for a given period. You can also set a limit for your young children accessing your phone. Know what they are doing, because they do not realize that they make allow certain blocks or pop-ups on your phone while browsing. This can pose some major threats as an unwanted virus might have already crept into your system. The reason why are we taking this time out to warn you and make you aware of the kind of steps you can take is because there have been cases everyday reported for online hacking. If you are advancing with the growing technology and security you can look for cyber security course to become good expert in it..
