5 Tips to Protect Your Data on the Internet

There is absolutely no doubt about the power of the Internet. You can use it for communication, learning, entertainment, and more. However, you may know that with great power comes great responsibility – the responsibility to protect our data on the internet.
While accessing the internet may not be difficult, protecting our sensitive data from malicious actors on the internet is not that simple. However, with a few significant security measures in place, we can ensure maximum security for the data stored on our devices.
In this article, I will explain a few easy-to-implement ways of securing your sensitive data on the internet. Let’s begin.
Create a Strong Password
It goes without saying that a strong password is the first line of defense in securing our social media accounts, devices, and more from bad actors. When creating a password, the best practice is to use a combination of upper and lowercase alphabets, numeric, and special characters. Also, a strong password should not be obvious with your name, birth date, etc.
In addition, I believe it’s best to use a different password for different social media accounts. So, even if one account is breached, other accounts remain safe. Also, some platforms may offer 2-factor authentication (2FA). By enabling 2FA, the platform may instantly inform you in case of a security breach or if someone else tries to access your account.
Use a Secure Internet Connection
It does not matter if you’re using WiFi or ethernet, make sure the internet connection offered by your service provider is backed with strong security protocols.
Plus, you should never rely on public wifi because it puts you at risk of downloading malware to your device. Public WiFi is open to all and while you connect to it carefreely, you may be sitting ducks for the hackers. Even if no hackers are present on a public WiFi network, chances are that some malware or virus may enter your device.
Certain providers offer free Wifi hotspots to keep you connected on the go, like Spectrum. On top of it, Spectrum Internet comes with a top-quality security suite at no extra fee. It allows users to safely browse the internet without worrying about malware or viruses entering your device.
Connect to a VPN
A quality virtual private network (VPN) can effectively encrypt your data and offer a safe tunnel for data transfer. All the incoming and outgoing data from your device first makes its way to the VPN tunnel and then to its destination and the device.
While the secure tunnel minimizes the security risks, a VPN also alters your device’s IP address and assigns it a fake one. So, your device may not be recognizable to the bad actors on the internet.
Note that a VPN does not make you anonymous on the internet. ISPs or even some websites may know that you’re visiting the site. However, a VPN will prevent them from tracking your online activity by altering the IP address.
Keep Your Devices Updated
Our devices may get frequent software or firmware updates. These updates are vital because they may contain bug fixes or security patches to further strengthen your device’s security. So, it’s best to update your devices as soon as you receive them to protect your data.
Besides the device updates, make sure to update the device’s apps. Major apps may constantly monitor the security loopholes on their platforms. So, such apps may roll out frequent updates, so no bad actor takes advantage of those loopholes and gets access to users’ data.
Do Not Open Attachments from Unknown Senders
It may be the oldest trick hackers have up their sleeves, but people still fall for it. Be it on email, text, social media app, or a communication app, it’s not wise to open an attachment sent by an unknown sender.
In most cases, your device may work as usual if you open such links or attachments. However, viruses or malware may creep inside your device and gradually steal data without you knowing. So, to be on the safe side, it’s best never to click on any link or open attachments sent by unknown senders.
Wrapping Up: Bonus Suggestions to Keep Your Data Secure
Carefully Give Permission to Third-Party Apps
Apps on the Play Store and Apple Store may take extensive security measures to secure your data. However, it may not be the same with third-party apps or APK files as they may not take any security measures to secure your data. So, whenever you install a third-party app or APK file, carefully grant permissions because it may steal your data.
Frequently Clear Your Browser’s Cookies
Cookies on your browser may save data from the websites you visit. While these cookies may be used by advertisers for targeted ads, hackers may also access these cookies to steal your data.
Use an Anti-Virus Software
Anti-virus tools are really helpful to remove viruses, bugs, corrupted files, and more from your devices. Reliable anti-virus tools may scan every piece of data stored on your device, identify the malicious ones, and help you remove them.
Stay Away from Sites That Do Not Use HTTPS
Whenever you enter a website’s URL, make sure it has “HTTPS” (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) in it. It’s because HTTPS websites encrypt the incoming and outgoing data by adding a security layer.