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Estimates by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) suggest that as early as 2021 the number of Internet users worldwide will be around 5 billion. Such immense popularity of the web brings not only many benefits, but also risks. As an Internet user, keep in mind important rules to reduce the risk of many potential problems. What do you need to keep in mind? How to take care of online security?
Rules for safe use of the Internet – remember them
Online dangers are not just for children. Adults and seniors, and especially all inexperienced users, must also be cautious. The facts are, unfortunately, that even someone who has been using the web for a long time can be fooled or deceived. What is especially important when browsing Internet resources?
Think before you shop
Web stores can tempt you with very attractive offers, but always, before you make your first order through a particular site, check it carefully. Take a peek to see if the site has contact information – address and phone number. Call and see if anyone will answer. Then search for information about the brand on Google and Facebook, for example. If the store was responsible for fraud, you’ll almost certainly find out from the comments on it.
The lack of any data may be worrisome. This could mean that the site has been in existence for a short time and it’s hard to tell what you can expect from it. A common ploy used by stores is to offer a very low price that is theoretically valid for only a few hours. Don’t be easily tempted. Don’t let your vigilance be lulled to sleep!
As long as you verify the store, you can be sure that there will be no fraud.
Use difficult passwords
Probably you have accounts in many services and mostly use the same or similar login. On top of that, you combine it with a password that is identical in each case and easy to remember. This is a mistake that increases the risk of your account being hacked. According to the Cybernews Investigation Team, the most popular passwords in 2023 are as follows:
Source: https://cybernews.com/best-password-managers/most-common-passwords/
As you can see, these are popular strings. The above list is the result of an analysis of 15,212,645,925 passwords. The authors say that often the age of the account owner can be deduced from the password. Users also use the names of their favorite sports teams.
Using a simple-to-remember password on all services is convenient, but dangerous. If you want to reduce the risk of hacking, combine non-obvious characters and don’t let the browser remember them. Don’t save your passwords in a random file – use a secure storage program, such as Sticky Password Premium or KeePass Password Safe, but you’ll find many others as well.
Watch out for phishing!
Phishing is one of the most popular online crimes, and it involves an attempt to trick or mislead people. If you use email, you’ve probably received an email that looked like it came from a well-known brand, such as a bank, auction service or electricity supplier, but it turned out to be a fake.
For online criminals, it’s a good way to defraud, especially since they can evoke emotions. For example, you receive information about an unpaid bill and a call for immediate payment. Unfortunately, but phishing is very effective. Mostly the tool used for this is email, but often also SMS.
The following data may shock you, but more than 47% of emails sent in 2021 are phishing!
Source: https://earthweb.com/how-many-phishing-emails-are-sent-daily/
Don’t use illegal sites
Such sites very often contain viruses. All you have to do is visit the site, and if you don’t have antivirus software, you can infect your device. Later, criminals will have an open way to commit a crime. They can steal your login credentials for various services and even use your hardware for hacking attacks. Malware is used on sites with illegal software, video, pornographic materials and more.
Take a peek at the following data prepared by MUSO. In the column on the right you can see the number of visits to pirate sites in billions. Admittedly, the statement is for 2018, but it still shows the scale of the problem. Each such visit can end up infecting your device.
Source: https://dataprot.net/statistics/piracy-statistics/
Install antivirus software
This, of course, is an absolute must. And don’t forget to keep your antivirus program updated. According to Eftsure, about 6,000 new viruses are created every day. If your software isn’t on the current version, it won’t cope with the incoming threats. Take a peek at the chart below. It shows the average cost of each attack for companies. Of course, an infection in a personal computer can also be very costly!
Source: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/03/07/cyberattack-cost-2018/
Don’t open suspicious emails
Not sure who the sender is? Does the message look suspicious? If so, don’t open the attachments or click any links that are in the email. Remember the risk of online scammers impersonating well-known brands.
Check if the sender is definitely the company – criminals often register a very similar website address to mislead. As we mentioned – nearly half of the messages sent are phishing.
Use two-factor authentication
This means that you are verified in two ways. When you try to log in to a particular service, you have to provide a login and password, but you also have to certify your identity through another method. You can confirm your login with a text message sent to your phone number or in a smartphone app. The methods are different.
Banks have been using them for years, but you can enable them for more and more services. It’s worth doing – you then reduce the risk of money theft or unauthorized use of your services.
Don’t trust strangers online
This does not only apply to children. There are certain groups of people who are particularly often targeted by online criminals. These are, for example, singles of an older age. In social networks you will find a lot of profiles where pictures of beautiful women are added. Often it’s just a matter of collecting as many followers as possible. The host inserts not only photos, but also links to sites. Meanwhile, clicking on the link takes you to an infected site.
It also happens that men establish an online relationship with women and over time persuade them to donate money so that they can solve their serious problems. Be vigilant!
Don’t hate!
Heyt is a phenomenon that can even lead to the death of the persecuted person. Many have serious difficulties because of it, which they cannot cope with. Hate speech is often completely unjustified. Internet users are insulted because of their appearance, mistakes made. The problem affects very famous people, as well as ordinary people. Take a peek below – the data shows that one in three teenagers has dealt with aggression on the Internet.
Source: https://publicystyka.ngo.pl/nienawisc-i-hejt-w-sieci-dotyczy-coraz-wiekszej-liczby-nastolatkow-jak-z-nia-skutecznie-walczyc
Even more frightening may be the data presented below. 27% of teens surveyed admitted to being a perpetrator of violence, and 32% violently insulted others online once a month or more. The heckling can have serious consequences. Refer culturally to others online, and be sure to check with your children about this phenomenon. Don’t assume that all is definitely well – it’s better to control these issues so that tragedy doesn’t occur.
Rules of Internet use – summary
Always maintain limited trust online. Think through your steps, don’t use suspicious sites, let alone sites that are illegal. Be sure to keep your antivirus software up to date and use strong passwords, and then the risk of becoming a victim of crime will be lower.