The Internet is an integral part of your daily life, you look for new information, surf social media, text with your friends, and even work online.
10 Things You Need to Know about Surfing the Internet
It seems like the web has made everybody’s lives easier, whatever you want you can find on the internet. However, there’s a whole lot of drawbacks of being present online, and one of them is hackers.
Whether you’re a business owner or a student, a data leak is almost always a negative experience, and you want to avoid it at all costs. It can also be very challenging to keep yourself safe, after all, not everybody knows what’s a VPN and how to avoid scams.
Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We asked the experts at Bulletproof.co.uk to teach us everything we need to know about staying safe while surfing the internet.
Choose a strong password
One of the easiest ways to prevent hackers from accessing your data is to have a strong password. There are plenty of services on the web that will help you generate one, or even ask for one when you create an account.
There are also some tips on how to create a strong password. The first thing you should do is to avoid using any personal information like your birthday, phone number, license plate number, etc.
It’s a very easy way for hackers to gain access to your accounts, so it’s best to avoid them. Also, don’t use any words or phrases that can be found in the dictionary, or your password could be easily cracked by somebody who knows what they’re doing.
Using random letters and numbers is a good way to protect your accounts. You can always add special characters and capital letters later on.
Limit the number of accounts you have
It might sound a little bit counter-intuitive, but having fewer accounts online is actually better for you in the long run.
Hackers usually go after people who have more online accounts, because it’s easier for them to get access to their data and personal information. Once they find out what your username and password are, they won’t be able to resist looking around for other websites in which you use those credentials.
Of course, you don’t have to delete all of your accounts, just try to keep them to a limited number.
Keep your software up to date
You probably know that it’s important to update the operating system of your computer because bugs get fixed and new features get added all the time. However, many people forget about updating their software too, such as browsers or antivirus programs. So we suggest that you always keep everything updated because it will help keep your computer secure and running smoothly.
Never click on suspicious links
Neglecting this advice will almost always lead to trouble. If you get a message from somebody on Facebook asking you to check a link, don’t click on it!
It can be anything from a funny video, a picture of your favorite athlete, or even an ad for a product that you’ve been looking for.
If you want to verify if it is really what it seems like, don’t open any links in the message but instead simply copy and paste the link into your browser and see what comes up. If it turns out to be something fake, delete the message and move on with your life.
Keep browsing history private
Many websites that you visit will store cookies that track your activity including, how often you visit each site, what kinds of searches you make, etc.
These are generally harmless, but sometimes hackers will use them to steal your information and passwords. The best way to prevent this is to clear out your browser history regularly and change your settings so that cookies are deleted whenever you close the browser app.
Install an antivirus program
Finally, we come to the most important part which is installing an antivirus program on your computer. While most of them are free nowadays, some require a subscription fee. The important thing is that you choose one that will suit you best.
There are lots of different features that are available these days, so look around and find the one that fits you best. Some of them offer cloud storage and automatic updates, which are incredibly useful for keeping your computer safe from malware.
Be careful with online banking
It might seem like an obvious point, but it’s always good to remember that when it comes to online banking, don’t use public computers!
If you do that, somebody might be able to access your data and steal your money before you even notice that it went missing. Always use a computer that is yours, if you don’t have one at home, use one at work or at school instead of going online from a coffee shop or library.
Don’t share sensitive information online
Social networks are very useful for communication purposes, but they can also be dangerous.
Once somebody posts something on Facebook or Twitter about their finances or health issues, their personal information becomes accessible for everybody else on the web too. Make sure not to share any sensitive information online unless you want everyone around you to know it!
Don’t give away your location on social media
It might seem silly at first, but never post anything about where you are on social media. If someone sees that you’re in a certain place right now, they might go after you pretending they are someone else while they ask for money or personal information over the phone or Internet.
For this reason, we recommend that you turn off location services for all applications except for those that need it, for example, Google Maps.
Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
Bluetooth is an excellent innovation that allows you to connect any device with another in a matter of seconds. However, it’s not as safe as some people think because your phone broadcasts your location to other devices nearby, which means that hackers can easily track you and get your information.
The best thing you can do is to turn off Bluetooth on your phone whenever it’s not being used. This will help out both you and other people too as there’s no need to broadcast anything to other devices if you have nothing to share!
Conclusion
The internet has grown so much since its beginning and it shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. It has become such a vital part of our everyday lives.
We can do practically anything on the internet, including connecting with friends, work, pay bills, book movie tickets, and basically anything else you can think of! Unfortunately, this internet also poses a risk to our personal information as it’s all out there waiting for hackers to take.
Luckily for you, there are lots of different things you can do to prevent hackers from accessing your data, and many of them are very easy. Hopefully, after reading this article you learned a few ways that you can keep your information safe.
If you want to learn more about these or other useful tips, just keep checking our website – we’ll be publishing new articles very often about how to stay safe on the Internet.
