Your online activity is personal. It reveals so much about who you are, what you like and where you are. Plus, many of the sites you visit, such as your banking app or an online casino, require your information, including your address and financial data.
Rather than feel at risk when you make a transfer or play at a live casino, it’s better to take action. There are measures to make your time online more secure. As well as changing your habits online, you can use security software to enhance your protection when browsing. Read on to get several tips and recommendations for being safer when using the internet.
Personal Responsibility
You can’t rely on paying for software or a security package alone. You need to be safety conscious in your choices. Here are a few tips to boost your protection.
Unique Passwords
We know it can be challenging to remember so many passwords. However, if you always use the same one, hackers can easily gain access to all of your online accounts in one fell swoop. When you create a new account or update a password, try to make your credentials as unique as possible.
Making sure that your email accounts don’t share passwords with any other online credentials should be priority number one. Also, ensure that your login information is as strong as possible. Using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers without any discernible connection to you is the best way to stay safe.
VPNs
Besides using a security package, there’s another program you could install to keep your browsing private. A VPN hides your IP address. It can also be a safer way to interact with unknown WiFi networks.
The benefits of a VPN are that it can prevent geolocation targeters from tracking you. They will gather and use your information as your search and visit sites. It is then sold to advertisers, who target you with products connected to your location and online activity. It also prevents the WiFi network owner from seeing your data.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Your accounts will have strong passwords if you follow our first tip. However, you can make security even tighter if you use multi-factor authentication when available. It means there are several steps to logging in to sensitive accounts, which makes it less likely that someone who isn’t you can gain access.
Typically, those steps involve receiving a code to a phone number registered to your account. It might also mean answering security questions to prove that you’re you and in possession of your phone. You might also need to go to an app to confirm and verify your identity with biometric data on your phone, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition.
Separate Email Addresses For Accounts
If you feel like any of your online activity is particularly risky, such as creating an account at a new site that’s unknown to you, there are actions to take. One of the best options is to create and use a separate email address.
If the email address isn’t connected to the rest of your life online, then the consequences won’t be as serious if it’s compromised. Choose a different address than the one you use for banking or other important accounts.
Security Packages
Besides taking personal responsibility, it makes sense to rely on expert security packages to handle the technical side of keeping you safe.
Install Software
Your laptop, computer or whichever device you use for most of your browsing should feature some security software. Anti-virus is the minimum, but there are several sophisticated suites that perform many security and protection tasks.
Make sure you choose and purchase the software. Once it’s installed, you’ll also need to run updates regularly. Cybercrime moves quickly, so you’ll need regular updates to stay ahead of any attacks.
Know What It Covers
Choosing the right security package can be challenging. After all, it’s doing the hard work in areas where you might not understand the terminology or precise issues, actions and threats. If that’s the case, it’s best to get as comprehensive a package as possible.
Ideally, it should scan your device, alert you to vulnerabilities, protect your online payments through browsers, filter spam, defend weak points, such as webcams and microphones, and provide a firewall and ransomware protection. Many suites also have a password manager, which helps with tip one and unique passwords.
Explore The Best Packages
We took a look at some of the best security packages to give you a head start on the research. Of course, the software you choose should meet your specific needs. However, the solutions we’ve listed here work well for general use, including browsing, internet banking, online purchases and so on.
The number one option is Bitdefender, which has an excellent reputation. It includes many of the features listed above. You can also explore Norton360 or Kapersky, both of which are highly-rated and well-known names within the industry.
