Technological advancements have been a welcome addition to people’s lives. From computers, to GPS and to the Internet, it is very definite that it has improved our way of living. Unfortunately, all positives indeed come with a negative connotation-in this case, security.
With just a few clicks, paying bills, grocery shopping, buying clothes or gadgets, and a lot more, can all be done online. It is not a surprise that hacked emails, credit card frauds, and identity theft has been a common problem in dire need of a solution. Fortunately, there are things that can be done to avoid falling victim to these scams.
These are some things you can do to ensure that your online presence is secured:
Enable 2-Factor Authentication
You bring your phone practically anywhere. It can store all your passwords, personal details, and financial information. It is just right to always make sure that your phone is secured. The question is, how?
Apart from outright trying to avoid theft of your phone, you can have a no-peek screen protector installed from your suking phone tiange. Make sure you get the screen protector with Gorilla Glass or similar with the special material that won’t let others see the screen from the sides.
More importantly, enable 2FA or 2-Factor Authentication on your email and social network accounts. Use GMail for this feature. Likewise, enable 2FA on Facebook, Instagram and other social apps you use regularly. You can add an additional layer of protection by using an authentication app like Authy to generate additional passwords.
It’s also a good idea to invest in iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other cloud storage apps. Essential documents, photos, messages, contact numbers, etc., can be stored in the cloud and the phone can be set in such a way that all data will be removed when wrong pass code is entered consecutively. So if you lose your phone to a thief or you dropped it somewhere, you don’t have to worry that others will get a hold of your personal information.
Read up on good password best practices
Social media has been widely used and will always be a good platform of connecting with family and friends wherever part of the world they are in. This comic by XKCD has been shared time and time again as a yardstick for choosing the best passwords. The combination of words matter.
Use a VPN
VPNs or Virtual Private Network provide a secure connection between both the Internet user and the website trying to connect to. A good example of this is accessing the Internet via a public WiFi, for example a coffee shop. Hackers have been very creative and it’s hard to know if one of them is connected to the same network. They could start looking through and steal data or files on your laptop or cellphone.
Here are some of the best VPN Services in 2020 according to PC Mag Asia.
Think before you click
Click baits have been widespread on the Internet. Either it pops up on the browser or sent via email, many have fallen victim to this scam. Even banks have been imitated by scammers wherein emails are sent asking receivers to update their personal information for banking purposes.
These scammers have leveled up their game. They have been more creative, using URLs ending with “.corn” which is very alike to “.com” when not carefully looked at. The point is, be careful in clicking links in emails, text messages and Internet browsers.
