Top 5 Safety Basics to Know When Using the Internet
Much of business done today is online – with the internet providing convenience for services including banking, shopping, and socializing. Protecting your identity and digital activity is more important than ever. We share some basic changes to make right now to improve your safety online.
5 Online Safety Steps to Take Now
1. Make Your Passwords Stronger
A strong password is the first step to staying safe online. Are you using the same password for everything? STOP NOW. Don’t use the same password or an easy to guess one like “123456” or “password” or “qwerty” passcode. If you have trouble keeping track of your passwords, consider using a safe, credible password keeper.
Pointers to Create a Strong Password
- Make sure your password is at least 10 characters long.
- Use a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.
- Use numbers and symbols.
- Be creative. Smash words together or substitute numbers for letters, but make sure you can still remember your password.
Stay away from using personal information like your birthday, social security number, middle name, or the names of your kids.
2. Be Smart About Security Questions
Security questions are often used to verify your identity when you forget a password, or as an extra layer of security. This means the answers to your security questions deserve your attention, just like your password. The trouble with security questions is the nature of what is being asked. It could be that you’ve already advertised your first car or where you went to elementary school on a social media post that is easy to find. Choose secure questions AND answers that are more difficult to guess. Better yet, create a special password to use just for answering security questions. If you have an option to use an alternative identity verification, like two-factor or biometric data, that could be a safer choice.
3. Make a New Email Addresses
Create separate email addresses for different purposes. The email address you use for banking or finance should be separate from the one connected to your social media account. This helps you keep information organized and prevents problems if one account is hacked.
4. Only Visit Credible Websites
It is very easy for a fake or fraudulent website to be created, so look for clues that a website is a safe place to visit online. The website URL should have “HTTPS” in the address. The “s” is a sign the website is secure. There should be a padlock symbol next to the URL as well. Additional tips include:
- If you need to login to a website, use a two-step verification whenever available.
- Do not download media illegally as these are likely to include viruses.
- If you encounter a website with explicit content or tons of advertisements, they are often not secure and do not click on anything.
5. Use Social Media Carefully
Social media can be a great way to network and communicate. Using it safely means knowing how to navigate what to share, when, and with whom. When using social media, consider the following pointers:
- Exclude personal information like your birthday, phone number, and home address.
- Pay attention to privacy settings of each social media platform and stay up to date when they change.
- Don’t overshare vacation plans or check in online every time you leave the house. This makes it easy for burglars to know when your home is unprotected.
- Remember: If you post it online it will be there forever, and your boss or neighbor or grandma can see it.
Potential employers also look at what you post online, and there have been instances of current employees being fired for their online behavior after hours. Be smart about what you put on social networking sites. It is essential to protecting your employment opportunities, your identity, and your personal safety. Identity thieves use information gleaned from social media, but so do regular “old fashioned” burglars.
Use these suggestions to protect your identity online and continue using the internet as the great resource it is.
