Buzz
The internet plays a vital role in the daily lives of many people. It offers an exciting, informative, and resourceful environment, but it can also pose significant risks, even if you feel comfortable while browsing. By following a few safe practices online, you can protect your personal information and identity.
Steps
Protecting Your Password
Use a strong, unpredictable password. When creating an account, ensure your password includes numbers, symbols, and a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. While remembering passwords may be challenging, it makes it much harder for hackers to steal your data.
- Try combining the first letters of a sentence, such as 'Drinking coffee keeps you awake,' which becomes 'DcK@w!'
- Longer passwords are typically more secure, so consider using a favorite quote, a line from a song, book, or movie. Be mindful of password length limitations on certain websites.
- Avoid using common passwords like '123456' or 'password,' or personal details that others may easily guess, such as your nickname, street name, or pet's name.
Use a password manager tool to organize and secure your passwords. A password manager will automatically generate hard-to-guess passwords for each of your accounts. You only need to create one master password for the tool, and it will protect your other passwords.
- You can use both free or premium password manager tools for advanced options.
- Reliable password managers include 1Password and LastPass. You can find other tools by searching online.
- You may also use the built-in password synchronization feature in your browser, but this is a less secure option and could be susceptible to information theft, so use it with caution.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account. Two-factor authentication increases your account's security by requiring additional information when you log in, such as a code sent to your phone.
- To check if your account has two-factor authentication enabled, you need to check the Settings section of the site.
- This extra step may seem inconvenient, but it significantly enhances security compared to relying solely on a password.
Sign up for accounts on legitimate websites. Be cautious when creating accounts on websites, even when only asked for your email address. No matter how secure your password is, providing your email address on an unsafe website could put you at risk of having your information stolen.
- Avoid sites with misspelled domain names or poor grammar, as they may be fraudulent copies of legitimate websites.
- Also, be wary of sites with excessive pop-up ads or those with random numbers or words in the domain name.
Log out of accounts when you're done using them. Logging into a website creates a cookie in your browser that identifies you; if this information is stolen, your account could be compromised. This is especially serious for websites that store sensitive information, like banking or credit card accounts. Therefore, it's best to log out once you're done.
- Log out from websites you've accessed on a shared or public network.
- Always log out of online banking or shopping sites, even if you've accessed them from a personal home network.
- You don’t necessarily need to log out of accounts like email or social media on your personal computer, as long as you lock your device when not in use.
Use social media and email safely
Set your profile to private. Making your social media profiles private will make it harder for strangers to contact you or access your information. You can set your profile to be visible only to you or your friends.
- Go to the account settings and the security or privacy menu to review and adjust your privacy settings.
- If you choose to make your profile public, be sure to hide sensitive information such as your address and phone number.
Review the information that is publicly visible on your profile. Important details on your account may still be exposed to the public when you first set up or edit your profile. Access the Privacy section of your account to check what strangers can view on your profile.
- It's a good idea to check this every few months to ensure your private information is still protected.
Think carefully about whether you'll regret sharing certain information. To stay safe online, you need to know what’s okay to share and what isn’t. Initially, you might feel comfortable posting something inappropriate or provocative, but remember that such posts can be screenshotted, viewed, and shared by people across the world—even if you delete them.
- As a general rule, ask yourself if you'd be okay with your parents, teachers, or future employer seeing that post. If the answer is no, then stop before posting.
Review posts you're tagged in before approving them. You can prevent harmful or embarrassing content from appearing on your account by enabling tag review. This is especially important if your friends’ accounts are set to public because anyone can see the posts or photos you're tagged in.
- Activate the tag review feature in your privacy settings.
- You will be notified whenever someone tags you in a post, and you can choose to approve or reject the tag for it to appear on your profile.
- If you're still worried about a photo after removing the tag, talk to the person who posted it about taking it down.
Do not share personal information with people you meet online. This may seem obvious, but it's worth repeating. Even if you think you know someone well from online interactions, you can never be certain about their identity or whether they are a threat.
- Avoid sharing contact details such as your name, address, phone number, or other personal information like the name of your school or workplace, as this makes it easier for people to find you.
Scott Nelson, JD
Sergeant, Mountain View Police Department
Sergeant, Mountain View Police Department
Experts agree that: In addition to specific details that might reveal where you live (such as your school or workplace), you should avoid sharing information like your favorite restaurants, parks, or stores. This data can be combined to help pinpoint your location.
Exercise caution when meeting someone you’ve met online. It’s best not to meet people you've only interacted with online, but some situations may require it, such as when buying items online or using a dating site. In these cases, always meet in a public place and bring a friend.
- If you can't bring a friend, inform family or friends of your whereabouts, who you're meeting, and for how long.
- If you're under 18, never meet anyone you’ve only met online.
Choose a neutral username when joining forums. Private forums or those restricted to invited members can be more dangerous than traditional social media platforms, so take extra care to protect your identity. Whenever possible, opt for a neutral username and avoid posting personal photos or linking to social media accounts.
Don’t open emails or attachments from strangers. Online scammers often use phishing emails or messages to trick you into sharing personal information. If you receive an email from an unfamiliar address or one that seems suspicious, move it to the spam folder.
- Emails may also contain links that seem legitimate, but don't click on them until you verify they are trustworthy.
- If you suspect someone’s email address has been compromised, notify them immediately and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
- Scammers often seek banking details or social security numbers, so be cautious if asked to transfer money, provide login credentials, or share personal information.
Use websites and networks safely
Avoid clicking on suspicious or fraudulent websites. If you're familiar with the internet, you can recognize unreliable links by signs such as poor grammar, pop-up ads, misleading titles, or unusual website addresses. You should avoid clicking on these sites and refrain from downloading anything from them.
- Visiting these sites could result in your computer being infected with a virus or freezing.
Regularly clear your browsing history to protect your information. Many websites can access your cookies—small files that store preferences to show targeted ads. However, hackers also use cookies to steal your personal information.
- Delete cookies monthly to remove your personal data.
Shop online only on encrypted websites. When shopping or entering your bank account details online, always check the URL to ensure it begins with "https" rather than "http". The "s" signifies the website is secure, encrypting data to keep your information safe.
- Secure websites typically display a small padlock next to the URL.
- While saving payment information on shopping sites may improve convenience, be cautious as risks arise if the website is attacked.
Use a private WiFi network instead of public ones. Public WiFi networks, like those at restaurants, hotels, or airports, are often unsecured, making it easy for others to hack into your device. Only connect to unsecured networks when absolutely necessary, and be aware of potential risks.
- If you frequently use WiFi when out, consider purchasing a virtual private network (VPN)—a service that creates a secure, private connection from anywhere.
- Be cautious when connecting via smartphones. If possible, confirm the network name and login credentials with staff before connecting.
Use a virus protection extension on your browser. To increase your online safety, you can install a virus protection extension to check the security of a site or block pop-ups with viruses or harmful content. However, make sure to download extensions from trusted sources like the Chrome store to ensure safety.
Install a firewall to protect your home network system. A firewall acts as an electronic barrier that prevents unauthorized devices from accessing your computer or phone. Many computers come with a pre-installed firewall; you can check the security settings on your computer to verify whether it’s enabled.
- You can also install paid firewall software from authorized providers like Norton, McAfee, or Microsoft.
Keep your computer’s software up to date. Most software updates include enhanced security features, so it’s best to always use the latest version of your software. To easily receive the newest updates, you should enable automatic updates in your computer’s Settings.
Stay Safe While Using Your Smartphone
Enable encryption software on your phone. Many smartphones are already encrypted, meaning the software secures your data to prevent unauthorized access. To check if your phone is encrypted, go to the settings and click on the security tab.
- Encrypted phones include iPhones, newer Android devices, and Google Pixel phones.
- You can enable encryption software on Android phones in the security menu.
- For enhanced security, you can download encryption apps from the app store.
Ẩn Bluetooth của bạn. Mặc dù Bluetooth của điện thoại không dễ bị xâm nhập như mạng không dây, nhưng hacker vẫn có thể dùng nó để truy cập điện thoại của bạn từ xa khi họ ở trong cùng khu vực. Để ngăn chặn việc này, hãy ẩn thiết lập mặc định của Bluetooth để bạn không xuất hiện trong tầm ngắm của hacker.
- Nếu thiết bị của bạn nhận được yêu cầu kết nối từ tín hiệu Bluetooth lạ, hãy phớt lờ hoặc từ chối ngay.
- Luôn thận trọng ở nơi đông người như quán ăn và trên phương tiện công cộng vì hacker có thể ở trong cùng khu vực với bạn.
Chỉ tải ứng dụng từ các cửa hàng chính thống. Vi-rút thường dễ dàng xâm nhập vào điện thoại của bạn thông qua việc tải ứng dụng. Các cửa hàng “chính thống” như Apple hoặc Google Play được cho là những nơi an toàn để mua ứng dụng, và bạn không nên tải ứng dụng từ trang khác.
- Nhớ đọc yêu cầu, điều khoản và điều kiện của ứng dụng trước khi cài đặt. Nội dung này có vẻ dài và rất chán, nhưng hơn hết bạn sẽ biết dữ liệu gì được cài đặt trên thiết bị của mình.
Tải phần mềm bảo mật để tăng mức độ an toàn. Nếu muốn thiết lập chế độ bảo vệ đáng tin cậy nhất cho điện thoại, bạn có thể mua gói bảo mật di động. Những công cụ này thường có sẵn tường lửa, tính năng chặn tin rác và định vị GPS để bạn có thể tìm thiết bị khi bị trộm cắp hoặc thất lạc.
- Một số gói bảo mật cũng có tính năng khóa từ xa để bạn có thể ngăn kẻ trộm truy cập điện thoại của mình.
Lời khuyên
- Ưu tiên cài đặt chương trình diệt vi-rút và mã độc vì đây là một trong những cách đáng tin cậy nhất để bảo vệ ổ cứng của bạn.
- Sử dụng tính năng chống đánh cắp thông tin từ công ty thẻ tín dụng hoặc dịch vụ riêng biệt. Như vậy, bạn sẽ nhận được thông báo nếu thông tin bị rò rỉ hoặc có thanh toán đáng nghi khi ai đó muốn đánh cắp thông tin của bạn.
- Nhớ sao lưu dữ liệu trên dịch vụ đám mây hoặc ổ cứng ngoài. Nếu thiết bị của bạn bị xâm nhập, bạn vẫn còn thông tin được giữ an toàn ở nơi khác.
- Để thêm tầng bảo mật cho điện thoại, bạn nên tạo mã PIN hoặc khóa bằng dấu vân tay hay nhận diện khuôn mặt. Bằng cách này, việc truy cập thông tin của bạn sẽ khó khăn hơn khi điện thoại bị trộm cắp hoặc thất lạc.
- Tránh chia sẻ tên thật, địa chỉ nhà, biệt danh hoặc thông tin cá nhân khác.
