Follow these 3 tips to keep your information secure
Let’s face it, we spend a lot of time online. Whether it is shopping, reading the latest news, keeping up with friends, or even banking, a great deal of our time is spent on our computers or our phones. As great as it is to be able to access so much when you are on the go, many are unaware of the various ways in which their information can become compromised. Luckily, the following tips can help you stay safe and give you peace of mind when you are spending time online.
Protect your Information When Using Public Wi-Fi
One of the first things you ask when dining in a restaurant, sitting in a waiting room, or checking into a hotel is: “What’s the Wi-Fi network?” Free Internet and Wi-Fi is wonderful, as long as you know how to keep your information protected. Here are a few tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help keep your information safe:
- When using a hotspot, log in or send personal information only to websites you know are fully encrypted.
- Don’t stay permanently signed in to accounts. When you’ve finished using an account, log out.
- Don’t use the same password on different websites. It could give someone who gains access to one of your accounts access to many of your accounts.
- Many web browsers alert users who try to visit fraudulent websites or download malicious programs. Pay attention to these warnings, and keep your browser and security software up-to-date.
- Consider changing the settings on your mobile device so it doesn’t automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi.
- If you regularly access online accounts through Wi-Fi hotspots, use a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs encrypt traffic between your computer and the Internet, even on unsecured networks. You can get a personal VPN account from a VPN service provider.
- Some Wi-Fi networks use encryption: WEP and WPA are common, but they might not protect you against all hacking programs. WPA2 is the strongest.
- Installing browser add-ons or plug-ins can help. For example, Force-TLS and HTTPS-Everywhere are free Firefox add-ons that force the browser to use encryption on popular websites that usually aren't encrypted. They don’t protect you on all websites — look for “https” in the URL to know a site is secure.
Keep Passwords Safe and Secure
Although it may seem like you need a password for everything, resist the urge to have your computer save your passwords on websites through the use of cookies. This will make it that much harder for someone else to access your personal information. Create a different password for each account, helping to prevent hackers from being able to access multiple accounts just by obtaining one password. Make sure you are selecting passwords that are not obvious—don’t include your birthdate, Social Security number, etc. in your passwords. Also, make sure to change your passwords often.
Only Download from Reputable Sources
When downloading anything online, whether it is an article, a photo, a video, etc., make sure you are only downloading from reputable sources. If you have not used a particular website before, do a quick search to see if there is any information available from other consumers who have used the website. If you’re unsure, it’s best not to take the chance, and to find another reputable website instead.
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