Although many people choose not to use the Internet because they fear for their privacy, there are some steps that Internet users can take to make sure they protect against viruses, spam, spyware and hackers, and try to keep their private information.
Here are some tips that can help you protect yourself while using the Internet.
1. Use an Internet security software: This software protects you from malicious, phishing and keylogging activity while using the Internet. It is essential that you use an Internet security software because it acts as a warning against anyone trying to steal or hijack your personal information. One of the best features of Internet security software that warns you when you enter or visit a malicious Web site, so you can decide if you want to risk your personal information by entering the website. Visit our Internet security software FAQ to learn more about how you can protect yourself when using your computer.
2. Use encrypted websites: Some sites are safer than others to enter personal information, and security sites are called encrypted sites. These sites take the information you provide and to encrypt - or convert the information to a code - to make sure it is safe for users or unauthorized hackers. There are two ways to check if a site is encrypted. The first is the site will start with "https", meaning https. Any website that begins with "HTTPS" is safe to enter your information because your information will be encrypted before being sent to the company. If the URL begins with "http", it means that the site is not secure and you should not enter any of your personal information or even sign in the website.
The second hint that the site is secure and encrypted is when a color change URL (highlighting the "HTTPS" in green) or a lock appears next to the URL. The audit depends on the browser you use, but all secure browsers - such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer - have some sort of notification that confirms that you are on a secure website. Internet security software also has a symbol, typically a lock, which confirms a website is encrypted.
is an example of the confirmation Chrome encryption.
3. Use passwords: Since we live in the digital age, we are used to having many passwords that we are required to use to show our personal information, such as information from the bank online. Although having the same password for each service and the website is easy to remember, it is also one of the easiest ways to get hacked because once the hacker or thief numbers on one of your words password, then they will have access to all your personal and sensitive information. A password consists of a long password with a number of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and at least one special character. This blog provides a step by step process to make sure your password is strong.
4. Do not overshare or publicly display on social media: It is exciting and fun to share information on social media, however, many people choose to share many their personal information on their social media page. Some of the personal information includes their hometown, date of birth, legal name and, in some cases, their homes. The misfortune of sharing information on social media is that you do not necessarily know who has access to information, especially if you do not check your privacy settings regularly.
One of the best and easiest ways to protect yourself against this is to choose not to include personal information on Facebook, or include a general version of the information. For example NextAdvisor is located in Burlingame, so instead of putting in Burlingame our hometown on our Facebook, we may choose to include less specific options for San Francisco Bay Area or even Northern California. Before sharing information on social media, it is still important to ask whether the information is too personal to share. It is important to remember that it is OK not to have your hometown, date of birth and other personal information on your social media page.
5. Google yourself and look for your name on the people search websites: This is one of the easiest to see what information is posted about you on the Internet because Google collects social media information or professional websites and people search websites to collect information social media sites, as well as public documents. If you find information that include personal or embarrassing information, then there are steps you can take to protect your identity or have deleted information. This blog details steps you can take to restore your online identity.
Another alternative to searching for your name on people search sites is to register for a protection service against identity theft. Some services, such as TrustedID, monitor the use of your personal information on millions of websites, such as search websites people. If the service is one of your personal information used on a Web site, it notifies you and provide a step by step guide on how to remove your information on the website. Visit our protection against identity theft compare table to learn more about services that offer this Internet surveillance.
Although millions of Americans do not use the Internet to avoid hacking and malicious activity, there are fortunately ways to help prevent yourself from falling victim to thieves Internet hackers. By following these steps, you are ensuring your safety on the Internet, but you do your personal and sensitive information 100 times safer than someone who does not follow one of these steps.