As a big part of our lives are now carried out online, the need for better cybersecurity is greater than ever before. The good news is that there are some fairly simple tips that allow you to go online with complete confidence.
Use a Good Anti-Virus
An antivirus program is one of the key elements that will keep you safe. It will run silently in the background, giving you real-time protection against threats that you might encounter as you use the internet. They can also run full scans of your computer from time to time, checking for anything potentially dangerous.
A few of the best-known anti-virus brands include Avast, AVG, and Kaspersky. Most of them offer a free service as well as a paid version. Whether you decide to pay or not probably depends upon how heavy an internet user you are and how much sensitive information you have online.
Only Visit Reputable Sites
You should be able to recognize potentially dangerous websites fairly easily. The name of the site may be misspelled in the address bar, or it may have an HTTP address rather than the more secure HTTPS protocol. A small padlock next to the address indicates that it is secure and that you can enter personal details there.
Good cybersecurity is particularly important in certain industries, such as banking. You should look for reputable banks that have modern, safe websites. Expect to see information on encryption technology such as secure sockets layer (SSL), as this means that hackers won’t be able to read or use the data even if they manage to get hold of it.
There is also a need for high levels of security for areas such as streaming sites and online casinos, where you have to enter your personal details. The Casino Lab in India is a good example of the level of security that is required, as they have a fully regulated site that uses the HTTPS protocol and has a padlock in the address bar to confirm its secure status.
Make Strong Passwords
Creating new passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess while also being easy for you to remember is one of the biggest challenges today. The first step is to make sure that you never sacrifice safety for convenience. You shouldn’t repeat the same password on various sites or create simple, short passwords.
If you need a lot of different passwords, then it can make sense to use a password manager tool, to keep them all securely locked away but easy for you to access when you need them. Don’t use details that can be guessed, like your date of birth or surname.
According to research contained in a Verizon Data Breach Investigation report, over 80% of business security breaches are due to the use of weak passwords, and 59% of people re-use their passwords. Even if the site doesn’t prompt you to use special characters and a capital letter, it is always a good idea to do this.
By following these simple tips, you can stay safer as you carry out all of the online transactions that help you to enjoy life more.
