Every one of us is a creature of habit. We appear to do the same activities every day that we love, such as watching specific TV shows, going to the gym, or biking around the neighborhood, weather permitting. Whatever the activity, we get excited knowing it is a new day to accomplish what we particularly like. On the other hand, there are some activities we all do every day that aren’t relatively benign, and they have to do with turning on a computer or other device and connecting to the Internet. Rather than being harmless, this everyday behavior exposes us to cyber crooks and other malicious actors who can’t wait till we all connect to the Internet.
The goal is to understand what we are doing online that puts us all at risk to stop doing it in the future.
Here are five mistakes that make us vulnerable online:
Failing to Use Multiple Emails
Several people have a primary Gmail account linked to all of their essential services, such as a bank account, ISP service, and so on. They also use the same email address to subscribe to different anonymous newsletters, subscription services, and internet social media. These days, nearly every website requests the user’s email address, and the inbox is routinely inundated with thousands of unread emails. To handle business, money, health, and insurance-related data, use a professional work email with extremely safe encryption capabilities. You should use Gmail or other free email accounts for your social media activities or subscription to unfamiliar services.
Ensure that only the most basic information about you is visible to the public on your profile. Go to your Gmail or other email account configurations and ensure most of the data is hidden from public access.
Failure to Install a strong Antivirus
No doubt, mobile phones are rapidly displacing traditional computers, with mobile phones accounting for approximately 46% of all internet traffic. Furthermore, we download lots of applications regularly to engage, watch movies, listen to music, and for a variety of other services ranging from paying vendors to booking a cab. To protect your internet activity, you must have a decent antivirus installed and functioning. The mobile antivirus should pre-scan the downloaded apps to ensure their credibility.
If you receive a warning, avoid installing such programs, and be sure you only download programs from reputable sources. To ensure your security, avoid utilizing third-party program downloads as much as possible. Avoid visiting unpopular and unknown websites that are crammed with advertisements and appear unprofessional. Most antivirus software acts as a shield, preventing users from visiting vulnerable websites. Give heed to its warning and blacklist such websites.
AVG Antivirus, Norton, and K7 Total Security are examples of well-known mobile security products. They will check your applications regularly after installation and notify you of any hacking attempts. If you receive such a notification, immediately log out of the App or website you are using and do not use it again. If possible, make a complaint to prevent other users from experiencing the same difficulty.
No Control in Sharing Data
Even though most of us believe that the only online vulnerability we may potentially experience is through the use of social media, we do not doubt that it is unquestionably the beginning place for a prospective data loss. Data hackers have several options to choose from. Filling out online and subscription forms or hacking into accounts holding sensitive data may cause you to leave some of your personal information. There are several public records accessible that compile all of the data on a person available on the Internet into one location, resulting in a so-called “person’s account” that fits everyone practically very well.
As you can see, this does not need the use of information from your social media profile.
The majority of that type of information is processed in this manner since no one reads third-party agreements when installing or clicking on anything on the Internet, particularly when it comes to our privacy. Since this data may be captured, there is no way to prevent hackers, scammers, and other dishonest individuals from exploiting your data against your consent.
As a result, ensure to examine what information is available about you online using major search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo. A fast search may show the ugly truth about your digital trail. Thus we strongly advise you to launch an opt-out campaign right once. Use a resource like Nuwber that allows you to see what information is already available on you on the Internet.
Downloading Too many free things
Mobile applications are created to make our daily lives easier, such as sports, finding the correct information, directions, cooking applications, and so on. When you download an app from an untrusted source, such as a popular online forum or website, you run the danger of losing your data. When installing a new app, carefully consider what rights you offer the App and if you want to disclose anything at all. Stick to trustworthy platforms like Google Play or AppStore, and you’ll be OK, with risk limited to a minimum.
Sharing too much information on Social Media
Sharing too much information may not really involve posting your personal information online. However, by the sheer act of ‘living online’, you can expose yourself to hackers who are waiting to feast on your information. Most people fall into the trap of always posting every single accomplishment online. For instance, if they make a trip, if they get a job, if they eat something tasty – they post and so on. That’s really not a smart way to do things. Nevertheless, if you can’t help it, in the sense that you’re an influencer or you buy spotify followers, you should consider tightening up your social media account security, for instance, you can use 2FA codes, turn off location sharing, and personal information like DOB and home address should not be shared on your public profile.
Conclusion
When browsing, the most typical errors we make are: neglecting to safeguard cloud storage, not installing an antivirus on our browsing devices, and using one email account for professional and personal purposes. Also, keep in mind that using weak or consistent passwords and a low-security internet connection puts you on the dish of lurking and hungry cybercriminals. Take measures to prevent these attacks and browse safely in the privacy-vulnerable internet world.
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