You have got a huge amount of personal information floating around on the internet, and that’s a fact – everyone does. And it’s vital to keep a check on your online privacy, otherwise you could run into problems like identity theft or losing money, for example, but it can often be something that feels like quite a challenge, especially if you think your information might already have fallen into the wrong hands. However, it can be done, and it’s not as hard as you might think, so with that in mind, here are some handy everyday habits for better online privacy; read on to find out more.
Rethink Your Password Strategy
One of the easiest things you can do to improve your online security is to change how you think about creating passwords – it really could be the thing that makes all the difference. A lot of people will think of something simple, like a string of numbers (your phone number, perhaps), or a pet’s name, or perhaps their old school, but these are really easy for a dedicated hacker to find out about and use, and once that happens, all your details are unprotected.
Instead of these kinds of passwords, it’s better to think of a phrase or even a full sentence that’s entirely unique to you, and always make each password different (that way, even if one is discovered, the cybercriminal won’t have access to everything). Better yet, use a password manager to create complex, unique passwords for each site, which will make it much harder for anyone to hack into.
Take Care Of Your Email
Since email can often be full of handy information that a hacker would love to get their hands on for various reasons (including working out your password, for example), it’s essential to learn how to keep your email secure. You can start by using a strong, unique password as we mentioned above, and never reuse it anywhere – it needs to be just for your emails.
It’s also crucial not to click on any suspicious links and don’t download any attachments if you don’t know who they’ve come from or what they are – these could be phishing scams that can look totally legitimate but that will be designed to steal your data before you even realize it. And if your email provider offers two-factor authentication (2FA), make use of it, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Be Smart About Public Wifi
It’s always tempting to connect to public wifi when you’re out and about, and you’ll find it in all kinds of places, from coffee shops to train stations or shopping centers. However, as handy as they might be if you’ve not got much service or data, the fact is that they’re going to be very unsecure and hackers know that so they’ll keep an eye on them in order to target unsuspecting users.
When you’re on public wifi, just use it for general browsing if need be, but don’t log into sensitive accounts like your bank, and don’t enter any personal information anywhere. In that way, no one’s going to be able to steal any info, which is clearly what you want to avoid.
