With scams and hackers on the rise it’s more important than ever to keep on top of security on your computer, especially when you are browsing the internet.
These scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and can lead to security breaches, identity theft or money loss (through credit card and bank account access).
To help you protect your and your computer we’ve put together 4 simple tops to help you stay safe online!
1. Use Unique and Different Passwords
We all have a go-to password when it comes to our computer and the internet (it tends to be a maiden name or a pet name). People worry they will forget different passwords, so they stick to one password on all of their accounts. But this puts your details at risk! After all, if one hacker gets hold of the password, they will then be able to log on to all your different accounts and get personal and financial details.
It is important to use different passwords for every account you have online to keep your details safe. Choose a password which is difficult to guess; and use a mix of numbers, characters and upper and lower case characters.
Its impossible to remember every password for every website you login to, and that’s where password managers like LastPass and Truekey come in. These services store all your passwords for you, so you only have to remember one master password to unlock your vault!
2. Keep Your Software Updated
Most people ignore updates on their computer, after all there’s enough to do without having to wait while an update downloads and installs itself! In fact, as you can read here, 50% of people ignore software updates for 45 days.
But if you do use an old version of the piece of software, you will be at much higher risk of your machine being infected with malware or allowing a hacker to gain entry to your computer. Companies often release new versions of software after a security hole has been identified and fixed in the updated version. .
Remember that even if you haven’t seen an update on your computer, it’s worth going to the vendors website to see if they have released a latest update just to make sure you keep on top of your computer’s security.
3. Be Cautious With Emails and Don’t Click on Links Where You Have to Login (e.g. Banks)
You are not alone if you have received at least one phishing email in the last week. In fact, it’s becoming harder than ever to know if the email you received from your bank, or even your favourite shop is real or not.
A lot of companies, including Paypal, are now warning their customers about these spoof emails as hackers often copy the email companies normally send out word by word.
Look out for warning signs so you can keep your details safe. For one thing, watch out for emails asking you to log in to your account. You should go to the company’s website directly using your internet browser and log in that way to check your account, rather than clicking on a link within the email.
Also, you should take a look at the email address which is often full of letters or numbers if it’s a fake. Some phishing emails are full of bad spelling and grammar, but more recently they have become more sophisticated and harder to spot so always be on alert.
4. Get a Good Anti Virus
It’s also so important you have a good, reputable antivirus on your computer to protect you from malware and viruses. You would be surprised how many people forget to install one on their piece of tech, or turn if off after they’ve installed it!
Install onto your computer, tablet and other devices and make sure you update it regularly so that your computer can stay safe at all times. It doesn’t have to cost you a lot and most of popular anti-virus programs such as Norton and AVG offer a free trial so that you can get basic protection without spending a penny.
5. Don’t Share Everything Online
We are a generation of over-sharers, and most of us share anything and everything on our social media accounts which can then be seen by hackers worldwide. Therefore, make sure you limit what private information you put on your accounts by checking your privacy settings and adjusting them properly so your data isn’t put at risk. You might also want to download a browser plug-in which stops advertisers tracking your movements on the web.
