By now, you’ve probably heard plenty about those cyber attacks that leaked nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and Olympian McKayla Maroney, to name just a few. And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Unfortunately, these days, it’s not uncommon to hear about attacks on personal information that’s stored online. And while we can’t stop hackers from attempting these attacks, we can still take preventative measures to ensure our safety. The only thing we can do is be aware of the threat and choose to be smart about protection. Here are six tips that may sound simple, but will do a whole lot to derail certain attempts at your online persona.
6 Online Safety Tips
- Be careful where you click – “Phishing” occurs when hackers try to obtain your password and sensitive information by placing fraudulent links into an email and having you click on it to take you to a page they’ve created that may actually look legitimate. Be sure you know who is sending you emails and links and only click and interact with those you know.
- Guard your email address – Only trust your email address to those nearest and dearest to you. When it comes to work, give your colleagues and contacts a business email address. For personal emails, only trust those who are close contacts. By obtaining your email address, hackers are one step closer to finding out your identity. Guard it as you would your phone number and mailing address.
- Don’t give more than what’s asked – It should be common knowledge, but providing sensitive information online when it’s not necessary can easily compromise your identity. Don’t give more than what’s asked, whether it’s your social security number, mailing address, or even your phone number. The more information you have online, the higher the risk of being targeted.
- Be careful where you store your files – Many online file storing services provide an option for sharing files with others. Be careful about your settings and make sure you’re not storing your information in a public access folder. Check all your privacy settings to see if everything is set to private.
- Don’t store financial info if it’s not necessary – Many shopping sites offer the service of storing your credit card information online for speedier checkouts when you buy. And though it’s usually a safe and secure site, it’s usually safest to keep your financial information stored away from internet access.
- Don’t trust anyone online – At the end of the day, you don’t really know who’s on the other side of that screen. Be wary of who you engage and who tries to interact with you. Don’t give anyone any personal information you wouldn’t want them to have. And trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, chances are, it’s not safe.
