There were an estimated 4 billion Internet users worldwide in 2018. This accounts for about 55% of the global population. The Internet is a huge place and if you’re not protecting yourself online, you may be at risk.
Secure passwords
Everyone at some point has used a simple Password or the same password over multiple sites. It is bad to use the same password as if a website is breached then your other accounts will be at risk. Research suggests that more than 52% of Britons aged 18-25 are using the same password for lots of online services.
It’s a pain to keep coming up with a new password for each site you register for and remembering all of them is even worse! Password managers such as LastPass and 1Password will create and store passwords securely for each website you go on. If a website does get compromised, you don’t have to worry about all your other logins!
Computer anti-virus
Always make sure that you have an anti-virus program installed on your computer. Anti-virus software is the main defence in case you do download a dangerous file or click on a dangerous link. There are many different free and paid options available such as Bitdefender, Avast, AVG and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
Emails
There are an estimated 269 billion Emails sent and received each day worldwide and it is expected to rise to a whopping 333.2 billion emails by 2022. This works out to be roughly 3.1 million emails a second!
It is becoming more and more common that cybercriminals are sending out fake emails to attempt to gain access to your accounts. The most common way is by using phishing emails. Phishing is where a fake website is set up to look identical to the real website in an attempt for you to enter your username and password. By the end of 2017, the average user was receiving 16 malicious emails per month!
Here are some tips about phishing in case you get a suspected phishing email:
- Always double check what they are asking for. Businesses will not ask for personal information
- Never click on the links that are on the email as it may not be safe.
- If unsure, head over to the website of the business and login from there.
- Never open attachments. These can contain viruses
- Don’t trust the email it says it’s from. These can be faked!
Be careful!
Always make sure to be careful when on the Internet. You never know what can happen. Make sure to follow the tips above to prevent you from losing your important data.
Statistics from:
https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43128072
https://www.statista.com/statistics/456500/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide/
https://blog.barkly.com/phishing-statistics-2018
The post Top security tips to protect yourself online appeared first on SwitchboardFREE.
