How to Stay Safe Online from Hackers and Scammers?

How to Stay Safe Online from Hackers and Scammers?

Image by TheDigitalWay from Pixabay 

The widespread use of smart devices and wearable technologies such as smartwatches, Fitbits, and GoPro cameras amongst a wide range of consumers is transforming the way people live their everyday lives.

The number of people owning a smartphone is just over half the world’s population, and those who have smartphones are connected to other devices, including tablets and watches that track their every movement.

However, things worsen, if precautions are not taken to secure devices. With the evolution of the internet, we are all blessed to have access to information right out of our pocket. Type in your keyword and get the results instantly without any delays. Up till now, things are great unless you don’t click any suspicious link that could hack your system and inject Trojans, malware, or virus.

Some internet service providers offer highly secured internet to keep users protected from malicious activities, links, scammers, and hackers. Spectrum internet ofertas for instance, offer a free security suite along with an unlimited data allowance and a free modem on all of its packages. Whether it be securing your devices from any harmful files or parental controls to keep track of your child’s activities, Spectrum has your back.

But if unluckily Spectrum is not available in your area, there are still plenty of ways to protect yourself from such types of threats. Let’s take a look at some of the ways to protect yourself from any threats.

Install a Security Suite on Your System

Protecting your system from viruses is necessary for anyone who is using the internet almost all day. One of the things you can do to protect your system from any threats is to install antivirus software, which is just a basic step to keep yourself protected from ransomware and Trojan horse. Ransomware, for instance, demands payment to get your files restored. While Trojan Horse seems like the legit program, on the backend they steal your information.

As soon as you buy a new laptop or PC, make sure to install an antivirus program. Install it and forget it because antivirus programs keep running in the background and are updated regularly. As soon as the software finds any suspicious activity, you will be notified without any delay. Some antivirus software also displays a green mark to let you know everything is working fine.

Explore Security Options in Your Device

Internet usage is not limited to only laptop or PC devices. With lots of devices, the most popular one used is a smartphone that helps you to stay connected on the go. But that does not mean you don’t have to take care of the protection of your smartphone. You need to understand important features and security settings given in your smartphone. For instance, if your smartphone is stolen or lost, you can still find it through the security feature given in it. Before it’s too late, make sure to try out this feature so that you don’t have to face any trouble when your phone is lost.

Set Unique Password for Every Website and App

Hackers are very smart and often try to steal the password for the same batch of usernames and try the combination everywhere else. For instance, if you have set a username and password for your email and the same is applied to Facebook, the hacker will find an easy door to get into it. Similarly, there are possible chances that there are other websites as well where you have signed up with the same username and password. Make sure to use unique passwords for all the websites you sign up for.

When it comes to signing up for a new website or app, you will get the notification to save the password on the device. Make sure that you don’t save the password, rather use apps like KeepSafe to keep all your passwords. The app will help you to keep all the passwords in a safe place, which will also not let you struggle to remember the password for different websites.

Use Virtual Private Network

When it comes to connecting your device to the internet, the possibilities are you will use a WiFi network. At least your home WiFi network will be safe to use, but when it comes to public WiFi, you need to install a VPN on your device. Especially if you are a remote worker or freelancer, you might need to go to the café to change the environment and get your work done.

One of the best reasons to use a VPN is to hide your identity. Public WiFi networks are not fully encrypted with passwords, which means hackers can easily intrude into them. If you have to shop online, do online transactions, or access your confidential information, you need to make sure to install VPN and use it. VPN will also help you to access content that is restricted in your area. So if you are facing difficulty watching Netflix due to restrictions, VPN can be helpful. Some of the best free and paid VPNs include Browsec, SurfShark, NordVPN, and many more. If you want to enjoy more features, you can try the paid ones, which may cost you less than $5 per month.

Use Multi-factor Authentication

Nowadays, the risk of cyber threats is on the rise and companies are investing heavily to protect their systems and important files. With the rising problem, now most websites ask you to use multi-factor authentication to be secure and safe. For instance, when logging into your account, it might ask for further verification by sending a text on your number. Or in some cases, it might send you an email with a unique code that you have to enter before accessing the website. Recently, Gmail has improved its security feature by developing multi-factor authentication, which asks you to enter the password and verify that you are using it by sending a unique code.

Summing Up

With the rising threats and crimes going all over the globe, it is important to protect yourself from hackers and scammers by following the aforementioned tips. The tips are easy to understand and even if you are not a cybersecurity expert, you can follow them without any prior knowledge.

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