What to do when your device is stolen?
When these devices are lost or stolen, all your personal information gets compromised. Encrypt your electronic devices. If you can’t avoid saving personal information on your gadgets, then you could at least try to encrypt your devices by adding security measures such as passwords.
What is secure storage?
Secure media storages, such as DVD/CDs, flash drives, and external/internal hard disks, that you use to store your personal information. Put it in a secure location, away from places where people might pick it up. ...
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Do not share personal information on social media?
Do not share every personal detail about you on these kinds of sites. For example, when you get your first credit card, don’t get too excited and post a photo of your credit card on Facebook or Twitter.
Can you steal documents without knowing?
Even if it isn’t in digital form, paper documents can also be stolen without you knowing it. Cameras now have high resolutions that it can copy these documents in a flash. You can keep these documents inside personal vaults or have it stored inside a personal safety deposit box in banks.
How to keep your social network private?
To keep your social network activity more private, go to the settings, and make it available to your friends or followers only. Also, make sure you don’t have location sharing turned on all the time because getting access to such information will show to the hacker where you live and work or study. 10.
Why is personal security important?
That’s why we put aside money for the future, add keypad operated gates to our homes, and insure our valuables against theft. We’re pretty good at managing the risk of physical theft, but most people aren’t so knowledgeable about how to protect their personal information online.
What is 2FA in banking?
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a way of confirming your identity by using two of these three factors – something you have, something you know, and something you are. You’ve probably been using 2FA for quite a while, for example, when taking out cash from the ATM. To do so, you need to produce a credit card (something you have) and also dial in the PIN code (something you know).
Why is it important to use a password manager?
This is especially important for laptop users because if your computer gets stolen, a thief can easily access private data with the help of automatic logins. If you use auto logins because you can’t remember all the different passwords, you should use a password manager instead. 6. Use your browser’s incognito mode.
What is malware protection?
Malware protection is somewhere where you get what you pay for, and it’s a vital part of personal information security. 8. Check security certificates when buying online. Sharing your payment details with eCommerce sites is hard to avoid, but it’s also a real weak point in protecting your privacy on the internet.
Why use virtual private networks?
Nowadays, savvy web users take advantage of Virtual Private Networks to add an extra layer of personal privacy on the internet. These tools encrypt data that leaves your computer and route it via third-party servers which scramble your identity.
What happens if you don't log out of a website?
If you don’t log out of websites, you can leave the door open to anyone else to access your accounts. It’s a bit like leaving your wallet in a store that you intend to return to tomorrow. And it can be just as costly.
Delete Unnecessary Apps
Games can be fun, and many apps can seem useful at first, but they often carry a ton of bloat. Abandoned apps can open vulnerabilities that can be exposed to hackers. Keeping a sparse smartphone screen also helps speed up your devices.
Lock Down Your Social Media
We get it, we all love likes, and social media is now like second nature: we post photos every time we go out, every new place we visit, and when we come home, and we often tag our location as well.
Avoid Phishing Emails
Phishing is when someone tries to get confidential information such as usernames, passwords, credit card info, and more by pretending to be a trustworthy source (e.g. a friend, a bank, or a subscription service).
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two -factor authentication is when a computer user is given access to log in only after successfully they’ve entered two or more pieces of “evidence.” It improves security by adding another level of authentication and making it harder for someone to access your sensitive information.
How to have more privacy when you go online?
You can choose to have more privacy when you go online by adjusting the privacy settings on the browsers you use. These settings let you do things like. see what cookies are on your computer and delete them. decide what type of cookies you want to allow, including tailoring those settings by website.
How to address privacy when using a mobile web browser?
To address privacy when you use a mobile web browser, use the controls in your browser or one of the opt-out tools described below. Tracking control: Apple introduced a setting that requires app developers to ask for permission before they track your activity across apps or websites.
What is device fingerprinting?
Device fingerprinting uses your browser’s unique configurations and settings to track your activity. Companies may also use techniques to connect your identity to the different devices you use to go online — say, your laptop and your smartphone — and then tailor ads to you across all your devices.
How do ad blockers work?
Ad blockers keep ads from popping up or appearing on your browser. They work by filtering specific content according to rules set by the program or by the user. A wide range of ad blockers is available and you can find them by searching online. Compare features and reviews to decide which ad blocker is best for you.
What is cookie advertising?
An advertising company places a cookie and sees that you visited a website about running. It then shows you an ad for running shoes when you visit other sites. An analytics company uses a cookie to get details about your visit to a website — like how much time you spent on the site and the pages you visited.
What is a news website?
A news website shows local weather and stories about topics you’re interested in. A website remembers your username or items you left in your shopping cart. The websites you visit often allow other companies to place cookies as well — for example, to deliver ads targeted to you. These are third-party cookies.
Why do websites use cookies?
Websites use cookies to customize your browsing experience. When a website you visit places a cookie on your browser, that’s a first-party cookie. Here are some examples of how websites may use first-party cookies: A news website shows local weather and stories about topics you’re interested in. A website remembers your username or items you left ...
How do hackers compromise your privacy?
In phishing, scammers try to trick you into providing valuable financial or personal information. They’ll often do this by sending fake emails that appear to be from banks, credit card providers, or other financial institutions. Often, these emails will say that you must click on a link and verify your financial information to keep your account from being frozen or closed.
What to do if your bank doesn't match your financial information?
If it doesn’t match the financial website you use, don’t click. Also, remember that banks or other financial institutions will never ask you to provide account or financial information through an email. If you receive such an email and you are wary, log in directly to your financial provider’s online account portal.
What is private mode?
Browse in incognito or private mode. If you don’t want your computer to save your browsing history, temporary internet files, or cookies, do your web surfing in private mode. Web browsers today offer their own versions of this form of privacy protection. In Chrome, it’s called Incognito Mode.
What happens if you click on a phishing link?
If you click on a phishing link, you could be taken to a spoofed webpage that looks like the homepage of a bank or financial institution. But when you enter in your account information, you’ll be sending it to the scammers behind the phishing attempt, not any bank, credit union, or credit card company.
What is VPN in internet?
A virtual private network (VPN) gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public internet connection. VPNs mask your Internet Protocol (IP) address so your online actions are virtually untraceable.
Why is it important to provide too much information on Facebook?
Providing too much information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram could make it easier for cybercriminals to obtain identifying information, which could allow them to steal your identity or to access your financial information .
Why do people use anonymous search engines?
Privacy is one reason people prefer to use anonymous search engines. This type of search engine doesn’t collect or share your search history or clicks. Anonymous search engines can also block ad trackers on the websites you visit.
