With the rise of internet access throughout the world, people are shifting more of their personal lives, work, and data to digital environments. Although, this can be quite disastrous if people don’t start taking care of their data security on the internet.
A single cybersecurity attack can lead to huge losses for both individuals and organizations. Internet safety and data protection laws are listed out throughout the internet for people to read and gain awareness. But these are so spread out that it becomes difficult for the average internet user to access.
Hence, we have listed the essential security and data protection laws that every internet user needs to learn in one single article. Read on to find out more about how you can ensure your data safety and privacy right away.
Protect Online Accounts with Strong Passwords
Most people browsing the internet create several accounts on various websites and services. When creating passwords for these accounts, try to make them lengthy and complex. Simple passwords are one of the easiest weak spots for hackers to access your personal information and data.
Also, take care to not use a single password for all of your accounts, as this can lead to all of your accounts getting compromised with just one breach. If you have trouble with remembering complex passwords for many accounts, you can also use a password manager to store all of your credentials in a secure place.
Invest in Antivirus & Data Protection Software
Investing your resources in reliable data protection software can save you from huge financial and data losses in the future. A reliable data protection software recommended by professionals can prevent cybersecurity breaches in the first place, and disinfect any potentially harmful files to stop further damage.
These programs also come with their own firewall solutions that are generally better than the in-built solutions in most operating systems. Some of them even serve as VPN providers to keep your data secure while browsing the internet.
Keep Your Devices & Software Updated
Outdated software can lead to severe security breaches as hackers have more time to figure out methods to bypass the security measures in them. Hence, most software receives regular updates to fix these loopholes and increase overall security. It is important to keep all of your programs and operating systems updated to their latest versions.
Also, very old hardware can have some critical security flaws that can’t be fixed with any form of a software update. It is a good idea to upgrade your hardware every 3 years, as recommended by security professionals.
Look Out for Suspicious Links
Making unsuspecting users click on malicious links is one of the methods hackers employ to breach data and privacy. These links often lead to either malicious websites that inject malware on your device, or websites that impersonate original ones to mislead users and gather their financial data or passwords.
Before clicking on any hyperlink on the internet, hover over it to check the actual address of the website it leads to. Also, look out for spelling mistakes and uncommon domain extensions in the links that you visit. Avoid visiting links sent to you by unknown email addresses and text messages to stay safe from these types of attacks.
Enable Multi-Factor Authorization Wherever Possible
Multi-factor authorization is an authentication method that requires two or more forms of verification before letting the user access their accounts. Most modern websites and services offer you an option to enable multi-factor authorization when registering an account. You can even enable this feature on your existing accounts if the service supports it.
Using this feature adds additional layers of security to the process of authorization while trying to access the account. Multifactor Authorization can be found in the form of OTPs, personal questions, email verification, etc. In case hackers get access to your passwords, your data and stored information in the account will be secure.
Use VPN When Connecting to Insecure Networks
While using a VPN service, the data packets transmitted between your ISP and the device you’re browsing on get encrypted and routed through secure servers. This helps you to both protect your connection from breaches and keep your IP and geolocation secure from prying eyes. A VPN also encrypts your data packets, so your ISP cannot intercept your browsing data.
Also, make sure that you connect to a VPN when using free Wi-Fi networks, as these are quite insecure. The data on your device can be easily breached by malicious parties snooping on these insecure networks. On a VPN-protected connection, the hackers can only intercept jumbled bits of encrypted data.
Back-Up Important Data on Regular Intervals
Even after following all the basic security measures to keep yourself protected on the internet, you can still be exposed to malware through other forms of cyberattacks. This is the reason you should always keep your data backed up on a device isolated from the internet. In case you want to store your data digitally, you can also opt for a reliable cloud storage service.
Ransomware attacks are one of the worst ways to lose your data, and in most cases, your files get permanently encrypted and cannot be recovered. If you have a backup of your data, you can clean your infected storage, and restore all of the lost data. Having a backup gives you a second chance at employing better security measures in the future without actually losing any of your data.
Conclusion
With rapidly growing technological progress, it has become more essential than ever before to follow a set of basic laws and rules to keep yourself safe while browsing the internet.
Thankfully, there are several ways in which you avoid hacking, phishing, or malware attacks. Following the tips listed in this guide should help you to take a step forward to increase your own and other’s awareness on this topic and help to create a safer digital environment for everyone.