How to Protect Your Digital Privacy
Internet is a great platform and we cannot deny the fact that it has helped us a lot in many ways. Our lives revolve around this platform now. Imagining a life without the internet is so hard as we do pretty much everything through the internet. From online banking to online education, we are trapped in this bubble and there is no way out of it. There are many benefits of the internet. It connects millions of people around the world and offers the most convenient way to communicate with your loved ones living around the world.
We share everything on our social media accounts to keep others updated with what’s happening in our lives. It's cool, right? The world is different. In the past, only the government and some big companies had access to the internet but now even a newborn holds a smart device and watches YouTube.
As we do a lot of stuff on the internet, we need to make sure that we protect our devices and personal data from hackers as cyber threats are real. With the numbers of internet users growing up, the threats are also growing up and we need to make sure that we take all the precautions to secure our devices from these threats.
The government is taking steps to minimize these threats in cyberspace and many departments are working on different things to formulate a plan that helps people securing their personal information and sensitive data.
To make sure that your data is protected from these hackers and cyber threats, there are a variety of ways through which you can protect your device.
Use strong passwords
The most common way used by people to protect their data and information is to create strong passwords. When you are setting up a password for your accounts or device, make sure you choose something that is not easily trackable. Never use your name as a password. Try to set different passwords for different accounts so if someone hacks your one account, the others are safe.
Change passwords every 60 days and always come up with something new and don’t leave a pattern. Make sure that you never share your password with anyone. Even if you are working at a workspace and your boss asks for it, never give it and report this to the compliance team.
Use a secure internet connection
One of the silliest things people do is that they sign up for an internet connection that is insecure or they just randomly connect their devices to any available connection. We need to get our internet service through an internet service provider that offers security along with high-speed internet. AT&T Internet services come with a free internet security suite, as the company knows how fast the number of internet threats is growing, and to protect their customers from these cyber threats, they are working on it and offer their customers one of the best internet security suites.
Many companies charge extra for internet security. If you are not sure if you have an internet security suite, reach out to your internet company and make sure you get one or you’ll risk your data and information.
Always enable two-factor authentication
Make sure you always enable two-factor authentication as that will notify you if someone tries to hack your account. If you are logging in on a new device, after entering the password, a code will be sent to your mobile number or email, you can only continue by putting in the right code or else it won’t allow you to continue.
Beware of phishing emails/links
Phishing emails and links are the new way to get into your devices. Make sure if you get an email or receive a link from an unknown person or even through a person you know, never open it as that can result in a great loss which you don’t want. If you are working and have an email given to you by the company, and you receive phishing emails, report this to the relevant team. If you have a personal email and you receive such emails, block them right away. Don’t even open it.
Don’t use public Wi-Fi
We use public Wi-Fi as if it's not a big deal. We are not aware of the threats coming with the public Wi-Fi. You go to a coffee shop and you connect your device to the available internet connection or you are at a bus station and you are getting bored, you will connect your device to any internet connection without even thinking how insecure that connection can be.
A public Wi-Fi network is a blessing when you don’t have your connection but we need to know how insecure the public internet connections are. If you are in a dire need of an internet connection and you don’t have your network, make sure you use VPN before you connect your device to a public network.