The Internet is a place where we feel comfortable and can do basically anything we want. But our carelessness often has irreparable consequences. There’s one aspect of the Internet we should never forget — cybercrime. The number of crimes on the Internet grows every year. Hackers improve their skills every day, but it doesn’t mean there are no ways to save ourselves. Governments and police do everything they can to reveal these crimes, but it turns out to be very difficult. Therefore, first of all, it’s up to each Internet user to be aware of its dangers and know how to protect themselves.
This information is relevant for all categories of people, especially children, and older persons. School and college students who use the Internet to find assistants writing an expository essay, term, or research paper should be extra careful when ordering or buying something. There’s nothing wrong with purchasing descriptive essays online, especially if you don’t know how to write them at all. Just keep in mind the number of scams and order homework from credible helpers only.
Well, caution isn’t enough to ensure full protection. Here are other effective ways to stay safe.
Discretion is a Key
We are living in the social media age, and sharing each event that happens to us on social media seems essential. However, we don’t even realize there are certain borders. It’s a mistake to think that person who lives in a small town and has 100 subscribers can’t be a victim of cybercrime. Your social media profile is a fast way to learn everything about you and use this information to hack your social media account, email or bank accounts to cause huge problems. Our task isn’t to intimidate you but to limit the information you share.
Avoid Opening Suspicious Email Letters
The number of websites requiring submitting your email address while signing up is huge. Quite often, hackers get access to databases of some websites and copy people’s emails. They often send letters containing a link. When you open it and click this link, your computer gets a virus. It may not show itself, but it doesn’t mean everything is okay. There are different types of malware: some aim to steal all your data, others destroy your computer. Both outcomes aren’t pleasant at all.
Don’t Plug Unknown Flash Drives into Your Computer
If you have effective antivirus software that checks each external device, you may ask for people’s flash drives. However, don’t forget that hackers improve their skills and technologies every day, so the chance that the flash drive with a virus will pass the check is high enough. We also recommend you not to buy flash drives from unauthorized resellers; there are cases when people purchase new devices and deliver viruses to computers.
Purchase an Antivirus Software and Keep It Updated
This recommendation smoothly arises from the previous one. Stop downloading hacked versions of antivirus programs from the Internet — you promote hackers’ work. It’s unnecessary to buy the software you can’t afford — many budget apps ensure effective malware protection. You’d better let your computer update this software automatically because users often put it off and forget. Keeping antivirus software updated is the key to your safety.
All Passwords Should be Strong
Passwords are a big problem for us because we often forget them. What is the most popular solution for it? Yes, setting one password to all services you use. And quite often, this small misstep turns out to be the biggest mistake one can make in their life. If you also have a one-two password and set them while registering on different services, we advise you to change them while it’s not too late. Find the characteristics of a strong password, save it, and create each new combination according to these requirements. Use password managers to keep all passwords safe.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
This security feature is present in many social media and bank apps, but users don’t enable it because it’s complicated. But this complicatedness lets it ensure the safety of your account and personal information. When you log in to the website having no security features, you just specify your username, password and get access to it. However, two-factor authentication is necessary to make sure that you’re the owner of this profile. The system sends a code to your mobile phone and asks you to enter it. It takes only a few extra seconds but guarantees your safety.
Do These Tips Guarantee Protection?
We don’t want to lie to you and say that 100% protection is ensured. No security measure that fully protects Internet users from cybercrime. But the more security measures you enable, the higher is the risk that hackers or crime will access you and your data. The list of ways to keep yourself safe isn’t full, but even these tips are enough not to worry about safety. Finally, at least one measure is better than nothing.
