Internet safety is as important as ever
Online safety and protection has been around for a number of years now. Used on all types of websites, and for all types of businesses, it is there to protect consumers and businesses against fraud, hacking, and the theft of valuable information.
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Nowadays though, with so many companies, businesses and individuals moving into the online world, with one or multiple websites, online security is needed now more than ever before. More people are working online, gaming online, keeping in contact with family online, and even just winding down and playing some games on online casinos, the internet is busier than ever.
With the advent of online shopping or spending your money online, businesses have had to step their security game up to prevent that money from being stolen, prevent your private details being leaked, and prevent any kind of fraud to happen.
What has come to light recently is how important cyber security and online safety is during this time of being in the midst of a global pandemic. The way people live is changing, and they are more reliant on the internet now than ever before.
Considering the current pandemic has led to stay-at-home orders from governments across the globe, it is no surprise that there has been a massive spike in internet usage over the past few months.
This stay-at-home system that has been in place world-wide has led companies to adapt to the situation, and their employees are now working from home if they can. This can lead to obvious threats.
At an office, you are using a secure line as well as most likely having high level security measures protecting work computers, this isn’t the case if you’re at home, and you will need to ensure your internet line is secure, as well as your laptop or home computer.
More people are also using the internet for entertainment now. Subscriptions for Netflix, Hulu and the like have gone through the roof, as well as more and more people buy PS4, Xbox and computer games.
None of this is obviously that unsafe, but considering there are many people who rely on “free” streams to watch TV shows and movies, using dodgy websites to watch what you want to watch can leave you open to someone hacking your information.
What many researchers can agree on is that this kind of behaviour, being even more reliant on the internet for everyday activities and purchases, is most likely going to outlast the pandemic.
More and more people are recognising the fact that they can work from home quite easily, and more businesses are moving in that direction. Twitter recently announced that any and all employees who can do their job from home, never have to come into the office again.
More people are going to be doing online shopping as well, and obviously hackers and information phishers can see these trends, and they know that there are many, many more people who they can attack.
There are a few ways in which you can protect yourself. This information is important to know if you aren’t familiar with the internet, or you aren’t familiar with how hackers use the internet to steal your information.
The first thing to look out for is emails or alerts asking for personal information. There is no reason for a clothing brand or something similar to be randomly asking for your bank details or private information like that.
Companies or institutions that require that information wouldn’t usually ask for it over email either, they would either call you or email you telling you to come in. Delete these types of emails, and don’t reply at all.
Another thing to check is provided links. You don’t need to click a link to see where it goes, just hover over it and it will tell you. It’s quite easy to see if a website is dodgy or not just by the URL, or if it is a website associated with whatever they’re asking you. Much like being asked for your banking details but the link doesn’t go to a website associated with banking at all.
Another easy spot is if there are spelling mistakes. Official emails from big companies won’t have spelling mistakes in them. This is one of the most common giveaways and is usually a dead giveaway of a dodgy email.
Emails that have generic greetings are also incredibly suspicious. Information phishers will send out mass emails and just work with the people who respond. Watch out for emails that just say “Dear Sir/Madam”. A legitimate company that you deal with would obviously know and use your name.
The last major thing to look out for are emails that require immediate action. “Reply Now”, “Send in your ID number to win instantly”, these types of emails are obvious rubbish and any legitimate company would not send them.
It is now more important than ever to ensure you use the internet safely and not open yourself up to having your personal information stolen. It is easy to keep your guard up as long as you use reputable websites, and ignore any requests for information from unknown sources.
