According to statistics, people spend seven hours daily on internet-related activities, four of which are spent on mobile devices. The most popular activities include social media and streaming music.
Nowadays, a Nigerian prince scam will rarely fool advanced internet users. But cybercriminals are getting better. They continuously improve online scams. Ransomware gangs use expensive and sophisticated encryption algorithms. Over the last decade, the internet has become a more dangerous place.
We have gathered three helpful tips to protect yourself if you frequently use the internet. They will help you avoid frustrating and unnecessary troubles, so let’s dive right in.
Proper Password Management
It’s 2022, but password management is still a cybersecurity issue. “123456”, “qwerty”, and “iloveyou”, and similarly weak passwords are still the norm. Using any of them is a terrible practice. Ask one of nearly 200,000 North Face apparel fans. They got sensitive personal information stolen in a recent credential stuffing attack.
Credential stuffing relies on weak, reused passwords. To avoid losing your account, you should have a strong password. A password generator will help create multiple complex and unique passwords. This will prevent credential stuffing attacks and improve your overall account security.
Public Wi-Fi Safety
There’s no denying that smartphones changed the way we use the internet. According to Statista, there are 6.64 billion smartphone users worldwide. Moreover, a lot of people perform daily financial operations via smartphones. It would be best to avoid performing banking operations on public Wi-Fi networks without additional cybersecurity software.
Cybercriminals like to target public Wi-Fi for two reasons. First, free Wi-Fi hotspots often lack sufficient cybersecurity protocols. Second, so many people use them. A hacker could be monitoring all infected hotspot traffic. If you input your bank’s details, your account could be compromised.
Cybersecurity experts recommend using a VPN for public Wi-Fi protection. It will encrypt your data traffic, hiding it from unwanted attention. You can also switch to mobile data whenever you transfer money. Use public Wi-Fi to browse casual non-sensitive websites.
Use Antivirus Software
The first antivirus was developed in 1987, but some people still don’t have one. If you’re a frequent internet user, a well-developed antivirus is a must. Hackers have various ways to infect your device. They can send convincing phishing emails, post links to infectious websites on social media, and even send personalized text messages with fraudulent backlinks.
Antivirus software will inspect every data package coming to your device. It will alert you of any malicious elements. And if your system is already infected, it will locate the virus and isolate it. Most professional antiviruses also include email protection.
Cybercrime is becoming more common and sophisticated. The widespread mistake is thinking that it will not happen to you. As the statistics illustrate, it will most likely happen to every frequent internet user at some point. But the discussed software will protect you against the most common cyber threats and minimize the negative consequences.
