One of the largest threats we face today is the theft, collection and subsequent exploitation of our personal information. Our collective online presence (or digital footprint) is growing exponentially. It is also becoming increasingly more difficult to operate in our society without at least some form of online presence.
The online world can be fraught with dangers and potential serious loss, not only financially but also physically as someone can easily obtain critical information about us through simple internet searches.
Keeping safe online can seem daunting but in reality most threats can be mitigated using some very simple steps.
Here is my top 5 of the easiest ways you can protect yourself online:
1. Update your apps. It seems like such an innocuous task but in every cyber security course I’ve done this recommendation always ranks at the top. On a long enough timeline, everything can be hacked, and usually is. However developers usually find these and patch it. This is only useful to you if you update your apps.
2. Never open links or files from unknown sources. A large percentage of hacks are what is known as phishing scams, and require the user to activate. Beware of any link you are sent, regardless of how legit it seems.
3. Use safer (more private) apps. Some apps are need to take your information (navigation, social media), but most apps will try anyway. Think about what information will be shared with the apps you use and do they need it to operate? Google maps needs your location to work, but does the flashlight app? Everything you search for will be logged and that information is important (and lucrative) to someone. Choose better apps (e.g. browsers: safari - insecure. Mozilla Firefox- somewhat secure with settings set right)
4. Use a VPN. This is such an easy win. Download a VPN, pay a subscription, turn it on and viola, no one can see your traffic. A virtual private network (VPN) routes your traffic through other secure servers making it all but impossible for someone watching your router to see what you’re doing. Make sure you pay for one though (it’s worth it). Comment if you want recommendations on VPNs
5. Be critical. Think very hard before you post something online. Does this need to be broadcast to the widest possible audience? Is this something that I’m happy to commit to the open forum for the rest of time? Any criminal wants to know the value and the relative difficulty of a potential target. By posting personal information online you are potentially giving them access to both. Start to critique the information you put out there, once it’s out there you no longer own it (including pictures of your children, your thoughts and ideas).
This is not an exhaustive list, but these five things are what I consider the easiest wins to protect you against most threats. The point is not to make yourself 100% safe against all threats online (that’s only possible by not being online), it’s to make you a harder or less valuable target to criminals.
Or as I like to say, you don’t have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the person next to you.
Keep you and your group safe and invest some time and money in information security today.
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