6 Ways to Improve Your Personal Online Security

March 28, 2023 By Johan Curtis No Comments 6 minutes

Every month it seems there is a news story about hackers gaining access to information that is supposed to be secure. Over the past few years, billions of users from London to Australia have had their information breached through hacking activity aimed at large corporations. Companies that you would hope to trust your information with like Uber and Target have all fallen victim to hackers.

How to improve your online security

As a private citizen, you may not know that with nearly every online activity you choose, you could be putting yourself at risk. If you have an average understanding of computers, adding extensive algorithms and security software may seem a bit intimidating. Keeping your online hacking risk low has more to do with your activity than your security.

You don’t have to spend a bundle on top-rated security add-ons or take courses in one of the best cyber security career Australia has to offer to get the right protection. Let’s look at a few easy ways that you can boost your online security.

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How to Boost Your Online Security

Update Your Browser

Every time you get an alert that you have updates available on your phone, laptop, or PC, you are getting a warning that your information could be compromised. Automatic updates are created to strengthen security and keep your information safe. Every time you go online you are essentially putting yourself at risk of being hacked or defrauded. It’s critical that you don’t delay any updates to your devices. Your web browser and operating system should always be running on the most current versions for the best security protection.

Install a VPN

A VPN is a virtual private network. When you connect to the internet, every keystroke and site visit that you have is shared with your internet provider. This transparency leaves you open to attacks from hackers. Adding a VPN to your devices can help to protect your information and keep your online activity private. In simple terms, think of your online activity being transmitted to your provider along a wire tunnel; a VPN provides you with a private tunnel that is impossible for others to see. This keeps your IP address confidential and more difficult to hack. Through innovative encryption, a VPN will disguise your online activity and keep you secure.

Password Managers

Most people know that the first line of online security is having a strong password. A combination of lower and upper case letters, numbers, and symbols can create a secure password that will keep most hackers at bay. The problem is that you are probably using multiple programs and online memberships that all require a password. The hassle of trying to keep all of your passwords organized is one of the reasons most people choose to use one or two passwords for everything. This can leave you open to risk. To keep your information secure and keep all of your passwords straight you can use a password manager. These innovative programs will allow you to use a master password to plug in your sign-in information for all of your different accounts.

We are living in a digital world that offers convenience and entertainment worldwide, but also comes with risk. Following these security tips may seem daunting, but it is worth the small effort to keep your information and identity safe online.

Be Careful When Sharing Your Location

Every time you post a status or a picture on Facebook, check-in to a location, or upload a picture on Instagram, you are sharing your location with the whole world. How? When you post a picture, status, etc., you are most likely going to tag your current location. This may let people know where you are at the moment. Depending on the privacy settings you have set, your pictures and statues can be seen by millions of strangers.

The best thing to do is to re-check your privacy settings and them to the maximum.

Remember to Log Out

Social media websites are like a scrapbook; you add tons of information and share them with your friends and family. To ensure that no outsider or intruder gains access to your personal data, you must ALWAYS remember to log out from your social media accounts. If you don’t, someone might get unauthorized into your account.

Some internet users believe that by closing the browser window – when logged into a social media platform – will be enough to stop intruders from accessing your account. Know that you will still be signed in to your account, leaving you vulnerable to online privacy threats. To make sure this doesn’t happen, you must log yourself out from these sites when you are done using them.

Don’t Interact with Suspicious Emails

If have an email ID, you may have seen those unwanted email that seems to pop up so often. Email has made it easier for scammers to fool a lot of innocent people. Clicking on any links inside Phishing emails or just opening the emails will make way for malicious attacks on your device. The ease and anonymity of email and the capability it provides to easily contact thousands of people with a single click enables hackers and scammers to target hundreds of people in one go.

Simply deleting these scam emails will solve your problems. Even when you see an email titled as “You have won $1,000,000 in lucky draw”, don’t open and reply to such emails and immediately remove them.

Moreover, report them so that your email provider identifies it as a spam email and stop them from coming.

Final Words

Make a note to always use a VPN to make transactions online while using a public Wi-Fi. A VPN will provide you with strong encryption to prevent any third-party from sniffing at your data. Use these best practices to have a safe browsing experience on any device.