Avoiding Having Your Private Information Stolen Online

As the amount of time that we spend online continues to increase, so does the proliferation of online hacking attackers as cyber criminals continue to try and get hold of our hard-earned cash.

Due to this, it is wise to consider everything that we do online and what we are doing to try and protect ourselves and our identity. By applying the correct steps, it will remain safe to go on with the same level of Internet usage and not risk being a victim of hackers.

Firstly, set up strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. This is the most basic step to put in place. Never use the same password across a number of different accounts. Make each password as complex as possible. If you find it difficult to do this, then you should find a reliable online password manager.

Never share your passwords with colleagues. If you need to do this, then it is used to change the password later as you have no idea who else can access your accounts.

Next, you should set up a passcode on your mobile devices. This means that if you were to lose your phone or have it stolen, then no one would be able to access the information contained on it. Establishing a passcode means that all of the information, in all of your mobile applications, is safe from prying eyes.

Be careful in relation to the information that you allow to be made available on social media. If you allow too much information out there, then it may allow cyber criminals to gather enough information to use your identity to conduct a phishing campaign or even guess the password for some of your accounts.

Make sure that the security settings for each social network that you use are as strong and restrictive as possible, so only people you know can see your information. It is also important to deactivate the account on any social networks that you are no longer using.

Try to avoid the use of free Wi-Fi in public places. Access is easy for everyone, which, in turn, means that hackers would have little trouble accessing the data that is shared across the relevant network. If you are in a situation where you feel you have little option but to use public Wi-Fi then make sure that you use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your data.

Similar to unused social media accounts, you should conduct a review of all of your online accounts for services like entertainment, shopping, forums, or anything else. Any account that you no longer use should be deleted. If it is not, then the information may become available to cyber criminals.

Old email accounts may contain financial information or healthcare details that would allow you to be identified and the data to be used to obtain access to your other active account or even to send an email to your contacts to try and steal information from them.

It is impossible to prevent all attacks conducted by cyber criminals completely, but by following these steps, you are putting yourself in a strong position to prevent them from impacting you.