How To Improve Your Online Security

The internet can be a fantastic place and serves many purposes, but it can also be dangerous with many fraudulent people, viruses, and cybercriminals to be aware. These threats could cause all kinds of problems, including identity theft, the loss/corruption of important files and even your computer breaking down. Additionally, there are advanced new threats being developed each day which means that every internet user needs to know how to protect themselves when they use the internet. Fortunately, there are many excellent ways to boost your online security so that you can use the internet with confidence knowing that you are fully protected.

Passwords

Everyone uses passwords to protect their sensitive accounts like email, social media, and banking, but too many people will use passwords which are easy to predict. Instead, you should be using random, complex passwords and different passwords for different accounts so that people will not easily be able to gain access to these sensitive accounts.

Firewalls

In addition to securing your sensitive accounts, you also need to secure your network so that you can protect yourself from an untrusted external network that could gain access to your computer. The best way to do this is with a security firewall, such as the highly rated Sonic firewall. These are the first line of defense in network security and crucial for staying safe online.

Anti-Virus

Every computer user needs to invest in high-quality anti-virus software which will protect you against a wide range of online threats. It is important to keep this anti-virus software up to date, as well as all of your other software.

Email Security

A large percentage of viruses and cybercriminals target internet users through email. This means that you need to be intelligent when using your email which will include learning about the latest scams, never opening unsolicited attachments, checking links before clicking on them and being wary of websites which are unsecured.

Safe Surfing & Shopping

Following on from this, you can also improve your online security by practicing safe surfing and shopping. This involves only visiting websites which you are familiar with and are secure — you can tell if a website is secure if it starts with https://. This is particularly important if you are shopping online and using your bank details. Additionally, when using social media, you should avoid sharing any personal information even if it is a connection asking for information as this could be a hacker.

Public Connections

Many people now use the internet on their devices while away from home which may involve connecting to public Wi-Fi. These can be dangerous because they may not be secure, and hackers could steal your personal information. You can avoid this by using a virtual private network (VPN) to protect your privacy.

The internet can be a dangerous place if you are not careful with many cybercriminals, hackers, viruses and various other threats. The above are all effective ways to boost your online security and stay safe when you are using the internet.