Internet safety is a bunch of measures for protecting your personal data online. Every internet user must know the basic rules that help to prevent your private information from cybercriminals, malicious scripts, and other possible risks. All this is even more important if you are going to start an online business.
What is considered to be your personal information?
- Your name and home address.
- Your email address.
- Your passport details and SSN.
- Your passwords and secret words, as well as security codes sent to your mobile or email.
- Your bank card details.
- Any papers or even private messages that can be accessed by a third-party.
No matter whether you work on the Internet or just use it for fun. You have to know and follow the basic rules of cyber safety.
Basic Principles of Online Security
On your mobile:
- Install an antivirus program/firewall.
- Set a screen lock or fingerprint unlock.
- Do not save passwords in your bank app on the mobile, as well as passwords to any important websites/resources.
- Use authentication apps to protect business emails and important websites where possible.
- Set a password on important files/folders.
- Use strong and different passwords for different websites. Change passwords at least once a year.
- Use a VPN when you going to link to public wi-fi.
In your email box:
- Add authentication in case you need to use it for business purposes.
- Never click links or open images in emails from an unknown sender.
- Double-check the email address of the sender not to share your private data with scammers.
- Never send your personal details to your bank by email. Contact a manager and visit the office. No one reliable bank would ask you to send your personal details by email. So as a rule, all emails asking you to send them your personal details by email are fraud.
On your PC:
- Install an antivirus program and add it to the autorun.
- Do not install unknown programs.
- When installing programs, check the permissions and extra programs/extensions that can be installed. Uncheck unnecessary boxes.
- Double-check an URL of the page where you are required to enter your bank/card details.
The Most Common Forms of Cybercrime
Phishing
This a common type of fraud when websites mask themselves as trusted well-known resources: online stores, banks, social media networks.
To find out the website is fake, check its URL. It will look very similar to that of the real one, but it always differs in one/several letters: aliexpsss.com, aliexppress.com, etc. Also, do not click suspicious links in PMs.
How does it work?
When you visit a fake website and enter your email and password or your card details, they are stolen by criminals and are later used to steal your money or use your account for criminal activities or cheating your friends.
Identity Theft
In this case, the criminals represent themselves as another person. They can create fake profiles on social media, fake websites, etc. and commit fraud through them. They use the names and photos of other people, email addresses similar to that of the person they represent themselves to be, and so on.
What we recommend to do:
- Follow the basic online security rules we shared above.
- Secure your SSN (social security number) and your passport details.
- More on the topic.
Hacking
Misusing or damaging/shutting down websites, pages on social media, or your devices connected to the Internet.
To prevent hacking:
- Do not open suspicious links and websites.
- Check your security warnings and follow them.
- Visit only websites with the SSL certificate. They URLs start with https:// and have a green lock sign before them on the address bar.
- Get an SSL certificate and make other security settings for your website/blog if you run any.
- Never install suspicious programs, apps, and extensions.
- Do not use devices (USB or hard drives) that may be infected with malicious software.
Coming next: an interview with our online security expert.
Comments 0