From social networks to online banking, today the Internet has penetrated into our lives and activities. In addition to computers and laptops, we connect smart phones, tablets, refrigerators, televisions and many other portable devices to the World Wide Web. The speech about the importance of the Internet nowadays calls for knowing as much as possible about cyber security.
Cyber security is a state of protection of information that the individual, society and the state need. It ensures its existence and progressive development, regardless of the presence of internal and external information threats.
It is necessary to find the right ways to protect our privacy when we are online. Many people think that cybersecurity is an illusion, and it is impossible to be protected now because sites collect confidential information so subtly that we do not even know what they know. This may be so, but this uncertainty is another reason to keep your privacy and avoid the leakage of personal data on the Internet.
Is there something we can do to be more secure when surfing on the Internet, besides, do not show your passwords, or do not provide a lot of personal information?
- Update
The best protection against viruses is not anti-virus protection, but timely software update. After all, its developers are monitoring possible threats and trying to protect their products with innovations. Therefore, when the device offers updates do not ignore it.
- Checking sites
It is strongly recommended not to enter personal information (login, password, phone number or payment card) to requests of unverified sites. Such data can be provided only to those resources that have already passed your verification, or to well-known networks (for example, Google, Facebook, your blogs on information resources, etc.).
And yet – always check the name of the site in the address bar of the browser (www.google.com and not www.goolge.com).
You can enter information from payment cards or passwords from them only on sites with a lock icon in the address bar. Such a connection is considered protected, and your data will not fall into the hands of unauthorized persons
- Phishing
Recently, such type of fraud as phishing has become popular. The purpose of phishing is to gain access to the user’s confidential information (logins, passwords, payment card data, etc.).
Phishing messages, as a rule, come to e-mail and prompt for immediate action, leaving no time for reflection. Fraudulent messages most often come from well-known brands, friends or banks and affect the emotional perception of information. They can:
– trigger an alarm for the state of their bank accounts;
– promise cash benefits with the application of minimal efforts (lottery, a message about a possible unexpected inheritance, etc.);
– offer financial transactions with incredibly favorable conditions;
– call for donations after news of natural disasters or something or appeal to your charity, offering to help sick children.
Phishing can use not only the sending of letters to e-mail addresses but also online ads, search engine results, simulation of pop-up windows with system messages, SMS messages disseminating information in social networks.
- Password
As a conclusion, do not forget about the password. A secure password is the first guarantee that your personal information is under a secure lock. It must be complex, and it shouldn’t contain personal data. Passwords for important resources need to be changed at least once in 3 months. If you have a lot of passwords for different resources, write them down or use password-storing applications, for example, KeePass.
