9 Ways to Stay Safe on the Internet

Online security is critical when keeping your crypto safe and apps are now bigger than websites in most people’s daily digital interactions, but that doesn’t mean that basic Internet security rules and online safety tips have changed.

Hackers are still looking for personal information they can steal to gain access to your credit cards and bank accounts. Having a computer in the palm of your hand means easy access to lots of fun and exciting things online. However, it can be scary and upsetting when your social media account gets hacked or when someone steals your personal data. You should know how to protect yourself when you use the web on any device.

The following are 9 basic internet safety rules that are simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

1. Create Complex Passwords.

We know you’ve probably heard this before, but creating strong passwords for all your important online accounts really is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and keep your personal information safe. It’s especially true in the era when there are widespread corporate hacks, where a single data breach can reveal tens if not hundreds of thousands of user passwords at once. If you reuse your password, a hacker can take data stolen during one attack and use it for another attack or in identity theft. We recommend using a password manager to help keep track of your passwords and create strong ones for all of your accounts made up of at least 8 characters, a mixture of letters, numbers, capitals and special characters. Use a password manager like LastPass or 1Password to store all of your passwords in one place so you don’t have to remember them all.

2. Don’t share personal information.

Social engineering is growing in popularity and social media profiles can be used by hackers to figure out your passwords, and they can use that information to figure out answers to security questions in the password resets.

You should lock down your privacy settings and don’t post anything like birthdays, addresses or mother’s maiden names. Beware of requests to connect from unknown people and never click on links from websites you don’t know. Don’t open any attachments or popups from unknown sources. Keep your privacy settings on! Kids don’t need to know how to change their browser settings or how to use anti-virus software. Parents should set their children’s computers to private mode and teach them how to do it themselves. Teaching them about online safety is just as important as safety in real life.

3. Two Factor Authentication.

Make sure you set up two-factor authentication. 2-factor authentication security features require additional verification steps to access an account. 2-step verification helps keep out anyone who shouldn’t have access to your accounts by requiring you to use an additional factor such as a code sent to your phone or email address. Even if someone gets a password for one of your accounts, they won’t be allowed to access it if it has been protected by two-factor authentication (2FA).

Hot TIP: When you scan a QR code with the Google Authenticator app, you will see the backup codes option. Keep these backup codes safe, ideally offline. If you ever lose your device you can restore the QR on a new device with these codes. Print them on a piece of paper and store it somewhere safe.

4. Watch out for phishing scams.

Phishing refers to an attempt to steal money or personal information by pretending to be someone else online. Phishing online scams use fake emails, spam emails and websites to trick people into giving away their personal information. It is a common way scammers get your private information, such as credit card numbers, bank account details, passwords, and other sensitive data. Online scam artists often send phishing emails that look like they are from banks or financial institutions. They may also create fake websites that appear to be legitimate sites for banks or financial services companies. The scammer will then ask you to provide personal information, such as your bank account number and PIN, in order to “verify” the legitimacy of their site. If you receive a suspicious email or notice suspicious links, do not click on any links contained within it. Instead, delete the message immediately and report the suspicious activity to your local law enforcement agency.

5. Keep applications up to date.

Keep your computers and mobile devices up to date. Keeping up with the latest security software, browser, and operating system is the best way to protect yourself from viruses, malware, and online threats. Make sure you update your computer as soon as new software is available, make sure security software is always turned on and can automatically update. Also be sure all family members have comprehensive anti-virus protection for their devices, particularly on shared devices. You should also try to encrypt sensitive files stored on computers. Sensitive files include things like tax records, school transcripts and college applications.

6. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure.

When you use public WiFi networks, you may be giving away your personal information. You should make sure your computer is secure and don’t provide sensitive information if you aren’t connected to a secure Wi-fi network. Make sure your device has a secure connection, and if you’re not sure, wait until you can connect to a secure Wi‑Fi network before providing sensitive information such as your bank details. When you’re at home, firewalls help prevent unauthorized access to your network by blocking incoming connections. You should use firewalls when connecting any device to your network. Your firewall should be configured to allow all necessary ports. If you’re using a router, make sure you enable port forwarding for each device you want to connect to your network.

7. Use a Secure VPN Connection.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) for lots of different reasons: to protect yourself online, to access geo-blocked content, to unblock streaming services like Netflix, and more. A VPN protects you by creating an encrypted tunnel between your PC and a remote server. This allows all of the traffic that passes through it to be hidden from eavesdroppers, which means that no one can see what sites you’re visiting or what information you’re sending over the internet. VPNs are useful tools for protecting your privacy on public Wi-Fi hotspots, but be careful, they’re not always enough.

8. Use a Secure Browser.

Secure connections should always be used when making purchases online. You should never give out your sensitive financial information over unsecured networks. This includes giving out your credit card number, social security number, banking information, etc. You can identify secure websites by looking for an address starting with https:// rather than simply http://. They may also be marked with a padlock icon next to the address bar. You can also use a browser like Brave which has security protocols built into the browser itself.

9. Keep your mobile device safe.

You should always download mobile apps from a source you trust, and protect your information by reviewing your apps and deleting any you’re not using. Enable app updates, and limit access to sensitive information like your location and photos, to make sure your data stays private. Your phone should be locked whenever you aren’t using it. Set your device to automatically lock if it sleeps.