(Newswire.net — March 19, 2019) — To stay safe online everyone must first start with one simple step: knowing the risks. If you don’t know what’s out there and how hackers can get to your information, then you cannot make the preventative measures necessary to protect yourself. For example, did you know that old accounts you made as a kid could actually be used against you now as an adult? Those old accounts might have information you used as answers for security questions. They might also use the same passwords you use today, which would provide hackers with an easy way in to all of your accounts.
Staying safe online is a necessity everyone must know about. To stay safe online, you will need to understand these risks first.
Know Where You Are Online
Old accounts are a huge risk to your personal and company data. It could hold information like your mother’s maiden name or the first school you went to – you know, information that is typically asked as part of your security answers. Alternatively, you might still be using the same passwords. Even if this information is hidden, they can still be stored, and older accounts on sites that haven’t kept up with the times or are outright out of business are easy pickings. Find your old accounts and delete them today.
Use Unique Passwords for Everything
The next step is to make unique, complicated passwords for every one of your important accounts. You might want to keep a journal or use an encrypted password protector to remember them. Doing this will isolate hacking attempts and keep the rest of your personal information safe.
Know Phishing Tactics and How to Avoid Them
Phishing tactics are incredibly common and have been since the very beginning. Nowadays, however, they are smart. They use your own data against you to create emails that seem legitimate, in topics you are interested in or spoofed from companies that you use. You need to learn how to analyze emails and spot suspicious characteristics beforehand. If you don’t, you could accidentally download a ransomware file to your computer. If you want to know exactly how dangerous this is (especially to businesses or those who work from their computers), then read up on this guide from McAfee.
Install Professional Antivirus Software
Invest and install professional antivirus software to act as your last defense. If you are a company, you will also want to invest in cybersecurity measures that will protect your endpoints, otherwise known as the devices your employees use to access your company’s servers.
Avoid Giving Out Personal Information
When you can, always use encrypted tools and apps. This way you can prevent your data from being collected without your knowledge. You should also install apps and change your settings to that websites cannot track your movements off-site. Finally, you will also want to avoid giving out personal information. On Facebook, for example, a hacker could easily find a lot of information from your hometown, to your first school, to your family, and use that information to answer the security questions needed to reset your account.