You’ve probably seen the ads about how to stay safe online by now, and you should pay attention to them too. The internet is a frightening place, and in this day and age, scammers and hackers can penetrate your systems unnoticed if you are not cautious. Your bank account could be emptied in an instant, your personal information taken, and your data compromised. This is why, if you want to be safe when using the internet, you should follow these guidelines.
Frequently change your passwords.
It can be difficult to remember passwords. Some software can penetrate your system and steal your passwords. In the event of this happening, it’s a good idea to have the number of a security operations centre on hand. They can jump in and help secure your systems if you think your security has been breached. Changing your password on a regular basis reduces the possibility of an unauthorized person gaining access to any online accounts you have. Here are some extra password guidelines to remember:
- Randomly arrange capital and numeric letters and symbols. This makes it more difficult for keyloggers to guess your password.
- Make use of words twice in your password. It will take more time for a keylogger to figure out the second word if it already knows the first word. It thinks the second word is going to be different. For example, using the phrase ‘Sunshinesunshine’ will dissuade a keylogger for a longer period of time than simply using it once.
- Make your password as difficult to crack as possible by including special characters whenever possible.
Remove any dubious programs or applications.
We’ve all done it before: downloaded a questionable application to our PCs or an app to our phones. You should delete them as soon as possible after downloading them, even if you haven’t used them since downloading them, because they may already have access to the contents on your computer or smartphone. Many people don’t know that even after they uninstall a program, there may still be some parts of it that are still there. Take a look at this tutorial to totally uninstall programs to verify that your devices are devoid of anything that might potentially be harmful to you..
Always double-check the source.
It’s a good idea to do a little research before downloading anything into your computer or mobile device to be sure it’s safe. When it comes to an app on your phone, reading the reviews and researching the program’s author will assist you in determining whether or not it is safe. When downloading computer programs, be sure you’re downloading from a secure site with a padlock in the search box. If the padlock isn’t there or the site isn’t secure, don’t provide any personal information while filling out forms for downloads.
Install an antivirus program.
Finally, many people ignore antivirus software due to their annoyance. So why do they exist? To remind you of the need of keeping your systems safe in the event of a disaster. While there are many free antivirus programs available, we recommend purchasing an antivirus program to provide the highest level of online security.