Here are list of tips to follow in order to stay safe and secure while online.
- Use long, unique and hard to guess password made up of numbers, letters and symbols as strong password for each of important accounts such as email and online banking.
- Don’t send password via email and don’t share it with others.
- Set up password recovery options and keep them up-to-date.
- Avoid scams, don’t reply if you see suspicious email, SMS, phone call, instant message or webpage asking for your personal or financial information even if they appear to be legitimate. If you are unsure, contact the company directly to see if they sent the message.
- Report and flag content that is abusive or illegal.
- Frequently check privacy and sharing security settings and customize how you want to share your content especially on social media platform like Facebook and twitter. refrain from posting personal details about family or friends private.
- Be mindful of digital reputation, think twice before you post something embarrassing, harmful, inappropriate that could damage your reputation and that someone could use to embarrass or hurt you.
- Keep device’s app, browser and operating system current and up-to-date to safeguard your devices from viruses, spyware and other malicious software. When you do install software, make sure you’re getting the software from trusted source.
- Pay close attention when asked to sign in online. Check to see if the web address URL begins with https:// and have a padlock icon in the browser frame, which signals that your connection to the website is encrypted and more resistant to snooping or tampering. Sites that use Extended Validation (EV) SSL show a green highlight in the address bar.
- Always lock screen when you’re finished using computer, tablet or phone and for added security, set it to lock automatically when it goes to sleep or standby mode. Leaving screens unlocked could result in unwanted account hacking.
- Always check the sender’s email address, misspellings and other typos that could indicate that they are not the real senders. Refer to this post for how to recognise, spot and identify phishing or fake email.
- Shop safely with reputation online retailers and marketplaces. Online shoppers should feel empowered to do their research about the products and sellers before making a purchase. Online shoppers can learn about a retailer or a seller’s reputation from referral through friends or from reviewers and comments left by other shoppers found online.
- Use a safe and trusted payment method when shopping online. For additional security, choose to pay with a payment service that has programs to protect you. Beware of online merchants that only accept unusual requests such as cash-in-mail payment.
- Secure the wi-fi. Make sure your home wifi is protected with a strong password that only you and your family know. When out and about never use a hotspot that may be unsecured, especially when what you’re doing is personal or private.
- Logout or logoff. Always make sure you log out of your accounts when you’ve finished with them and log of a computer when you’ve finished using it.
- Bid smartly. When using an auction site, make sure you never transfer any money directly to a bank account or hand over any personal details. If you’re thinking of making a bib purchase like a car, or finding somewhere to live, always make sure it exists and is genuine.
- Be careful where you click. Think before you open attachments or click on links in emails, even if you appear to know the sender.
- Keep kids safer online. Are you worried that your kids are spending too much time on the internet? Warn them about online risks including online bullying and help to protect them with security software and online safety tools.