How to Protect Your Privacy and Security Online

When you sign up for a new service or download an app, you are asked to agree to terms and privacy policies. However, most people never read these documents.

The more identifying information scammers and hackers have about you, the easier it is for them to hack your accounts and steal your money.

Use Strong Passwords

When it comes to preventing the unauthorized access of your computer and mobile devices, passwords play an important role. In fact, the more secure your password is, the more protected you are from cyber-attacks.

Hackers can break into your personal and professional accounts and steal your information, which could lead to financial losses and personal identity theft. One of the most common ways hackers break into computers is by guessing passwords, and a weak password can be easily deciphered.

A strong password is long and complex, using letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and symbols. It should also be unique for each account, so that if one account is hacked, the others won’t be vulnerable as well. Additionally, passwords should be accompanied by multifactor authentication to provide an extra layer of protection.

Set Your Social Media Profiles to Private

It’s easy to leave your social media profile settings on their default public option, but regularly reviewing these options is a critical part of protecting your privacy online. This can help protect you from identity theft, stalking and other types of cyber threats.

The more personal information that scammers and hackers have about you, the easier it is for them to hack your accounts or steal your identities. By keeping your social media profiles private, you can reduce the amount of data that is available to them.

You can also protect your privacy by using a service like Aura, which constantly monitors the Dark Web and public records to find your sensitive data and alerts you of any suspicious activity. Aura is free for 14 days, so try it out today!

Keep Your Browser Updated

A major part of your privacy and security online depends on keeping your browser updated. Browser updates often include fixes that combat all sorts of threats, such as identity theft, phishing attacks, viruses, trojans, spyware, and so much more.

Your browser will probably update automatically, but it’s important to keep an eye on things. Those reminders can also be a great way to get rid of outdated extensions and plugins, which can weaken your browser’s overall security.

Online privacy is not a topic that can be easily addressed, and it’s not something that you should take lightly. With so many different factors to consider, it can feel overwhelming, but there are plenty of tools you can use to start protecting your privacy and security online.

Install Antivirus Software

The internet has been called the information superhighway, but it’s also become a superhighway for scammers and hackers to speed your personal data along. To keep your passwords, Social Security number and account numbers off this superhighway, you need advanced protection for all of your devices.

Antivirus software prevents files that contain viruses from being downloaded to your computer or laptop and, if they are, stops them from being activated. Viruses include programs like worms that self-propagate from device to device or Trojan horses that disguise themselves as legitimate software.

To keep your antivirus software effective, make sure it is updated regularly (as soon as the developer releases new versions) to patch vulnerabilities and stop evolving cyberthreats. Keeping your operating system, internet browser and apps updated will also help.

Check Your BYOD Policy

BYOD programs pose new security challenges that IT departments don’t face as much with company-owned devices. Hardware vulnerabilities on employees’ personal devices expand the attack surface, allowing hackers to enter company networks or access sensitive information. Employees also engage riskier browsing, email or messaging behaviors with personal devices than they would with their work-issued computers.

A strong BYOD policy can balance the needs of a business or organization with its employees’ privacy needs. But it must be clear and specific, especially when it comes to device ownership, reimbursement (e.g., standard use fees, a portion of monthly bills) and security requirements.

Password protections and antivirus software are essential to a BYOD policy. Other viable cybersecurity solutions include mobile device management (MDM) and containerization.