Nowadays, internet users are increasing every day, and with more and more traffic on the internet, protecting your identity becomes mandatory to ensure safe web browsing. Privacy is a major concern for most internet users because they carry valuable information, therefore, people cannot risk going online without any safety measures. So, to enhance the security of your system, the first step is installing a secure internet service that protects you from online threats. Therefore, we highly recommend Spectrum Internet as it comes with a complete protection suite to keep you away from prying eyes.

Top 9 Ways to Ensure Online Protection of Your Identity and Privacy

1.   Manage Your Passwords Properly

The passwords that you use are the first line of defense against online threats and therefore, you need to use strong passwords that are not easy to crack. When you are creating passwords, avoid using information that is about you or your family because people might be able to guess it and hack into your account.

Moreover, it is important to understand that you should not reuse passwords for different websites and you should create different passwords for every account. It can be a hectic task to memorize all the passwords and to remember which password belongs to which account. So, to avoid this confusion, you should use a password manager that helps you generate strong passwords and manages these passwords for you as well.

2.   Use Two-Factor Authentication

Creating the strongest usernames and passwords is just the foundation of the security pyramid. You need to enhance the security of your system to keep your data safe from prying eyes.

Hackers are always looking for opportunities to hack into your devices and steal away important information. To prevent this from happening, you need to enable Two-Factor Authentication to ensure that you and your family members are safe and secure from cybercriminals.

A Two-Factor Authentication is a two-step process, the first step is to enter the password, which is something that you know, and the second is to enter the code that is sent to your smartphone, which you have with you at all times. The combination of these two steps enhances your security and makes it difficult for hackers to intrude on your privacy.

3.   Update Your Computer Regularly

Most of the applications have built-in security features that help detect threats and prevents them from happening again. Such applications have to be updated regularly because the latest versions of these applications contain improvements and fixes to the previous problems.

Moreover, you should update your operating system as well, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, all of these operating systems require you to update them to deliver a better user experience.

4.   Beware of Phishing Emails

Verify the emails that you receive before opening them or before downloading the attachments as they may contain a virus of some kind of spyware that can be very harmful to you. Phishing emails are very tempting but before you open them, ask yourself the following questions:

§  Do you know the email address?

Phishing and malicious emails can come from anyone and that is why you should never fall for them. If the email is coming from your contacts list, check the email address thoroughly to check if the address is an exact match or not.

§  Are there any spelling mistakes in the email?

Hackers usually include spelling mistakes on purpose to make the email look more original and man-written. Moreover, spelling errors can help get through spam detectors.

§  Does the attachment or link in the email make sense?

Is there any specific reason for that person to send it to you? You need to address this question because if the email sent to you makes no sense at all, then it is probably a malicious email that is sent to you by some hackers. For example; if you receive an email regarding your tax refunds from the government of the UK but you live and pay your taxes in the United States. In that case, the email is a fraud and the person is trying to hack into your device.

§  What to do when you receive such an email?

If you ever receive an email that is offering you something for free and is from an unknown source, do not open it or download its contents. You must delete this email and block the address to avoid future emails from the same source.

5.   Check Add-Ons and Plugins

Every email account gives you an option of viewing the third-party services and the applications that have access to your online account. You should check for the apps that have access to your account and if you notice an unknown application, you need to remove it immediately. You should not allow applications that you do not use to have access to your accounts.

6.   HTTPS Security Protocol

When you visit a website that demands your personal information for creating an account, you should check for HTTPS as it indicates that the website is secure and can be trusted. If the web page is not secured with HTTPS, you should not enter any sensitive information as it might fall into the wrong hands.

Besides HTTPS, you can check for the grey padlock on which you can click and check the type of certificates like single domain, wildcard SSL certificate, multi-domain SSL certificate, etc. It is a step ahead method to check whether the site has a valid SSL certificate or not.

7.   Use Browser Extensions

You can always use browser extensions to speed up your work and to enhance your online protection from viruses and malware. As technology is becoming more and more sophisticated daily, web extensions that help safeguard your computer against online threats are also becoming more and more advanced.

8.   Do Not Reveal Sensitive Information

You should never reveal sensitive information on the internet, especially on untrusted websites as it can be very dangerous for you because such valuable information can make the job of a hacker much easier than it was before.

9.   Be Careful When Using Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is not a locked wireless network but an open connection that is not secure and it gives hackers the perfect opportunity to hack into other people’s computers. Therefore, you should avoid using public networks.

Final Words

Always be aware of the threats that you think can increase the risk of your computer getting hacked and train yourself to deal with the situation in case such a thing happens to you. Also, remember to change all your passwords in case you feel others are intruding on your computer.

These are the 9 best ways to protect your online identity to keep yourself and your family members safe from online threats.