Staying safe on the web- 5 tips to protect yourself from online predators
Internet is a whole world in itself. The web is so well knitted now that you can pull the strings to your survival by just sitting at one place. Pull one string, food comes home. Pull another one, here, take these supplies! Feeling lonely? Book a playmate!
While things are fun and easy on the internet, the web is also haunted by big spiders that track even a little vibration you make on the world wide web. They know where you are, who you are and how to best use that information.
The web is all fun and good when you are pulling your strings, but when someone else starts to do that for you, things get a whole lot serious!
So to prevent yourself from falling prey to these opportune parasites, here are some tips that might help you stay safe online-
- Password Tip -
In its recent 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon Enterprise confirmed that over 63% of data breaches result from weak or stolen passwords. And yet, most users, with the excuse of laziness, make passwords that are too easy to decipher. They generally include personal information that is often easy to find through public records like birthdays, mobile numbers, relatives names, etc. There are also people who consider themselves ‘not so naive’ and put in details that are intimate to them. But such people commit the mistake of setting up the same password for all or multiple accounts. This happens because they attach too much emotional value to their ‘intimate information’ that they use as passwords.
So what's the best way to set up a password?
Cybersecurity experts say that the best passwords are actually the ones that use the first or last digit of words that make up a sentence. For example if your good to go sentence is- “Cricket is better than football” then your password can be- CibtfBut this is often not enough. You need to mix it up with numbers, symbols and the name of platform you are using the password for. So let's say you like number- 69, your favorite symbol is- # and you are creating a Facebook account. So your password can be-Cibtf69#fb or any other order or way you'd like to arrange the numbers, letters and symbols.
Using this method you can safely create unique passwords for every account that are not only safe but you can remember too!
2) Segregate Email and Usernames
One big mistake that many people make is using the same email address for multiple accounts and even for entirely different purposes. It is advised to have a separate work email id, one personal mail id and one for social media platforms. The mail ID to be used online should also be in accordance with what you are browsing. For example, on LinkedIn, it's best to use the work id. For newsletter subscriptions or shopping- the personal ID and for social media your social mail id.
Another rule that one must follow is to have unique usernames for different social media platforms. This effectively keeps stalkers away who might have seen you on Twitter and want to stalk you on Facebook.
3. Always go through all the privacy options
Every platform follows a set of user privacy protocols to ensure the safety of its members. While there might be some differences, each platform has a feature to screen 1st, 2nd and subsequent connections. Make sure you value the privacy of what you share and understand what is suitable for which kind of audience before setting any post to open for public viewing.
4. Don't get Phished!
Phishing remains the oldest and yet a highly effective way of taking out personal data. The part that makes it most interesting is- it is you who gets yourself Phished.
So how to identify a phishing mail? Well, it is quite easy if you just pay a little attention-
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- Check the spellings and mail id. If they look like a ‘derivative’ of a popular brand, it is not to be trusted.
- Identify the tone of the mail. If it sounds too urgent or calls for immediate action, something’s fishy.
- If it's too good or bad to be true, chances are it belongs so the Season of “Things that never happened!”
- If it asks you to download something, or give out any personal information in exchange for a reward or to satiate a curiosity, chances are high that it's a scam.
One last bit of tip is to check if the mail ever mentions your name. However, many people have a habit of putting their names into their id’s, which makes this last tip slightly unreliable.
5. Do NOT download Modded softwares
As many services are becoming paid online, people often look for free alternatives. There are many websites available on the net that offer ‘modified’ or ‘cracked’ softwares that eliminate the need of any payment.
While these softwares are tempting, the developers often add certain bugs of their own that monitor your activity and breach your system’s security.
It's better to download trial versions from official source rather than a permanent free version from an untrusted source.
One last bit of advice says to keep all the softwares up to date and install an anti-virus for better protection.