[09/25/23]
Protecting your identity online is incredibly important in today’s day and age. Countless hackers and opportunists are constantly scouring the internet for vulnerable users, waiting to seize their personal information – including usernames, passwords, addresses, and full names.
Thankfully, it is easy to protect yourself from these attackers. They’re looking for weak targets, so strengthening your online security will make it much less likely that something terrible happens to your online identity.
Use strong passwords.
This one seems obvious, but you might be surprised how many people use flimsy passwords to protect their online accounts. Including varied capitalization, numbers, and symbols will make your passwords tougher to crack. Avoid using important places or dates, and definitely avoid using the same password to protect multiple important accounts!
Don’t sign into suspicious websites.
Unless you are 100% certain you’re signing into a legitimate organization’s website, don’t enter your personal information! Secure websites will usually have “https” in front of the URL, as opposed to unsecured sites that may say “http” or “unsecured.”
Hackers will also create mock login pages for popular sites like Facebook or Google to trick you into inputting your account names and passwords. If you aren’t sure, look at the URL and verify that it’s correct. Sometimes there may only be a letter or two changed from the original site’s address, so watch out!
Look out for phishing emails.
Suspicious emails might show up in your inbox now and again. They will often include links to those sketchy login pages discussed earlier or attempt to install malware on your device. If an email looks weird, do not even open it!
Protect your credit card number.
It is wise to be careful where you use your credit card online. While large stores like Amazon are usually secure, examine smaller sites carefully before you input your card number. It is also good practice to avoid letting these websites keep your number on file, to minimize the chances that it is stolen in a security breach.
Never give out your personal information on the internet.
Finally, if a stranger on the internet asks for your full real name, birthday, password, or social security number, never give it to them – even if it’s someone you’ve talked to online many times. You never know who could be trying to trick you out of your personal information!
Hopefully, this helped educate you on the dangers of risky internet behavior! Are there any other tips you know for internet protection?