Being a victim of cyber fraud can be one of the most frustrating experiences in modern life. Having your e-mails, documents and photographs ripped off makes it feel like someone is invading your privacy. Most importantly, having to worry about becoming a victim of crime but never knowing when or who will strike next is enough to drive people crazy.
If you are thinking that this must never happen to you, then think again because according to various experts it happens more regularly than ever before. They say that if somebody wants to hack into your computer, they will get in either by stealing all of the data or by hacking into an online account. There are some tips to help you protect yourself from becoming another statistic:
Avoid Public WiFi Connections
Unless you are lucky enough to have a 3G connection on your telephone, then the chances are that you will be forced to use Public WiFi connections if you want internet access while out and about. Although these wireless networks are becoming increasingly common, they can also provide an open window for hackers who may be lurking in the area.
Even when taking sensible precautions such as changing your password regularly it is extremely difficult to give yourself complete security over public WiFi. The most effective way of staying safe is by using a mobile phone internet wherever possible because although this type of connection isn’t always free, it does offer additional levels of protection which can include encryption software.
Use Tools To Keep Yourself Safe Online
Although it may seem like another expense that you can do without, there are a number of tools that you can download from the Internet for free. The truth is that these applications have been specifically designed to provide you with a greater sense of security and many will help to prevent your passwords from being deciphered or hack into by outsiders.
The simplest way of keeping safe online is by downloading security software that not only offers protection against hackers but also complete protection from pop-ups and other forms of virus attacks. Why spend hours removing undesirable files when you can just download this kind of antivirus tool and keep your computer clean? Most importantly a good antivirus tool will not only prevent you from being a victim of crime but will also let you know about any individuals who have been trying to break through your security systems. You can check online for the best priced security software to protect you from online hacks. This is the best way of being able to protect yourself against online theft and other cybercrimes because by knowing individuals are watching you, then they may think twice before attempting to access your computer.
Passwords
Another common mistake made by Online users is that they choose simple passwords which either contain the name of their partner or pets for example. The truth is that this kind of URL can be easy to crack so why take the risk? There are many websites on the internet where security experts some very sound advice when it comes to choosing passwords that are both secure and hard to break into. By using a combination of case-sensitive letters, numbers, and symbols in your password will not only give you the best protection possible, but it will also mean that if anyone were to discover your passcode, then it would be very difficult for them to use accordingly. It is always worth putting in just a couple of minutes extra when selecting passwords because this could put off any serious criminals from hacking into your computer!
Password Protection
As mentioned above, the easiest way of protecting passwords is to make sure that they are not written down on a post-it note or stored in an obvious location. This means that even if someone were to break into your house, there would be no visible clues as to what your password was. The best thing you can do is keep all of your passwords locked away in a safe or even better still keep it with you at all times so that you know exactly where it is. For those people who have difficulty remembering their logins and passcodes, it may be worthwhile buying an application that will encrypt them so that they are completely secure.
Organizing Your Files Online
There are many people who store everything from music files to work documents on their computer and if anyone were to break into this then it could be a disaster. You need to organize your data by using folders and naming the files accordingly so that if people do come across your files they will not know what they contain. This is something you can look at doing yourself or alternatively, there are now many companies who offer online storage facilities such as Dropbox which is free for those people with logins under 2Gb in size.
Online Security
One of the main things you can do to keep yourself safe online is to ensure that whenever you log out of your social media site such as Twitter or Facebook etc., that it doesn’t automatically redirect you back onto these sites without permission. If you don’t turn this feature off, then anyone could access your account while you are not looking which means they could change passwords and post inappropriate messages on your behalf.
Another way of protecting yourself online is to sign out of the social networking site when you have finished using it, instead of simply closing down the page because if somebody were to break into your account, chances are they will leave it open in the background. If you do go for this option make sure you press ALT+F4 or CTRL+W before ending the session so that no one else can have access to your personal information.
Make sure that you have an internet security program installed as well as regular updates from a good anti-virus supplier. You need both to safeguard yourself from cyber thieves who can steal any information from your PC without having to physically access it. Once they have got hold of your login details, passwords, and credit card numbers they will be able to access all areas of your life and cause financial harm to you.
It is s important that you spend some time looking at different programs to help keep your computer safe. There are many out there but only a few will give you the security level needed these days to protect not only yourself but also your family and money too. We hope that this article has helped you with learning how to stay safe on the internet, furthermore secure your computer from hackers and other cybercriminals!
