7 Ways to Protect your Online Privacy

Cyber crooks are giving us a big headache nowadays! Anytime we connect to the Internet, we are vulnerable to identity theft. As they say “One man’s trash can be another man’s treasure”.  No matter how baffling it may sound, but it falls true in this scenario. A lot of information which we share online is often availed by hackers to breach our online security. Hacking can happen to anyone, but there are some careless mistakes that put you at greater risk of being exposed.

Almost all our day-to-day activities are carried out by either using smartphones, tablets or laptops. Be it shopping, banking, making reservations, paying bills-almost everything & anything! Now this is when hackers come into picture. Cyber criminals exploit this information to trap naïve users in their vicious tactics and tricks. Here are some precautions which you need to take to stay ahead of danger by putting your best foot forward:

• Safeguard your Devices:-

It’s time to take charge of your online security. Our devices hold in a lot of sensitive information which might directly expose you to threat. Hence, it is important to defend all your devices against hacker’s tricky plans and strategies. We should make a practice to password-protect all our devices.

• Make it Difficult to Crack:-

Remember the “Morse Code” which transmits text information as a series of on-off tones or lights? Make your password inspired on the footprints of this code. Keeping simple passwords like “123” or “admin” is of no use, but serve your information to hackers on a silver platter.

See also:Devastating Computer Viruses That Could Rival Stuxnet

• Take use of VPN’s:-

You should make use of VPN to secure your privacy, especially while using public Wi-Fi networks. Without a VPN, it’s trivial for anyone else using the same Wi-Fi to see big parts of your traffic. So use a VPN on your laptop, on your phone and your tablet to secure your privacy.

• Use emails wisely:-

Emails are a great way to keep in touch with our near and dear ones. Of course we all agree to this! But you never know when your friends account might get hacked. So it is advisable to not share any kind of private & confidential info via emails like your account number, credit card details etc.

• Don’t Socially “Overshare”:-

We all maintain a bunch of social media accounts which reflects our ‘hot-shot’ personality. We never hesitate to post a check-in status on Facebook or upload a picture on Instagram of a restaurant we visited last night. Well, sharing is of no harm but oversharing might hamper your online privacy. Hence, we recommend you that don’t divulge your birth date, mother’s maiden name, pet’s name or any other identifying information on these social media websites as this is what, that gets caught by a hacker’s eye at the first place.

See Also:Do you have a strong enough Password?

• Beware of Fake Contests:-

Whether you’re a 16-year-old teenager or 50-year-old businessman, hackers know what to bait and how to bait. You might see couple of exciting deals crawling all over your screen. Beware of this bogus tricks (no matter how enticing they sound) and think twice before you click anywhere.

• Monitor your credit scores:-

Make it a practice to monitor your bank and credit card accounts regularly. Set alerts to be sent to your mobile phone or e-mail. Monitor your credit and public information online to spot any unauthorized activity. Take immediate steps in case you see any glitch or discrepancies in your account.

Although, there is no big ‘blackbook’ of hard & fast rules. These were just a few tips that can prevent you from any potential threat.

Stay-Alert!