Is there a way to protect your personal information?

In this day and age, the Internet plays an integral role in everyone’s life. It has changed how we socialize, do business, and even how we gather information. For example, how do you usually conduct research when you are looking to buy a new laptop? If you are like most people, your first instinct is to search Google or another search engine to compare prices and features of different products that fit your needs, right? But what if someone steals your personal information as you search on these websites? What if they steal your credit card information while you shop online?

Consider the following

All of us are concerned about protecting our personal information in an age where privacy is becoming increasingly less relevant. With widespread surveillance and data breaches threatening our security on a daily basis, you might assume that it’s impossible to protect yourself. But don’t despair; there are ways you can keep yourself safe online. Some simple changes, such as using different passwords for each account and creating a passcode lock for your mobile phone can go a long way towards keeping you protected from identity theft.

Don’t overlook anything<

Our dependence on technology can be both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, security is often an afterthought in our increasingly connected world. There are various ways you can avoid being hacked, including updating software, being careful when you click on links, and using two-factor authentication. Remember A little bit of effort today could save you from losing hours or even days of time spent recovering from identity theft in the future. And it’s not just about computers; mobile devices and cars can also be vulnerable to hacking.

Use good passwords

Passwords should be hard to guess—that’s obvious. But they should also be long enough that they can’t be hacked in under an hour. According to security expert Bruce Schneier, passwords of eight characters or more are much safer. That’s because if hackers have time, even strong passwords will eventually fall.

Apps can increase protection

By being aware of what apps you have on your phone, and removing apps that don’t benefit you or pose a security risk, you can keep track of what data is being accessed by which apps. By removing apps that are essentially spyware (apps that collect data without asking for it), you can also decrease your privacy risks. For example, Facebook’s Messenger app collects and stores contact lists, call logs, location data and text messages from users.

Security threats aren’t always obvious

Sometimes they can be as common as our smartphones. Make sure you’re aware of ways to avoid hacking, how to protect yourself if something happens, and where to go for help. To make it easier, here are 5 tips that should keep you safe: -Use two-factor authentication on everything. This is an easy way to beef up security without spending much time. Two-factor authentication—aka 2FA—means using something in addition to a password when signing into an account online or using certain applications.

Update all apps and software as soon as you can.

Keeping your software and apps up-to-date is an easy and important way to make sure you’re protected. If you aren’t sure how or why, it helps to think of software updates as one big patch: When a new security problem is discovered, the software company must create an update that repairs it. Every time you hear about a major data breach at another company, it means attackers have found another security vulnerability in popular software—one that is being actively exploited until companies write patches.

Clean out your social media accounts.

Before you go on a social media deleting spree, make sure you check that these apps and sites aren’t tied up with work accounts. There’s no point in taking down LinkedIn if an employer is still linked through it. It’s also important to backup all of your valuable contact data before removing social media from your life. You can do so by exporting from Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as importing your Gmail address book into Twitter (or vice versa).

Get off social media

Social media sites are designed for interaction. We can connect with people from all over, share pictures and thoughts, even send direct messages (provided we know their username). However, many social networks have vulnerabilities that put users at risk. It’s easier than you think for someone to go through your profile and get information about you—especially if you haven’t set up privacy settings correctly. To keep yourself safe online, it’s best to take some time off from social media entirely.

Use different passwords for each account.

Having unique passwords for every online account will help keep your data safe. Hackers try to gain access by trying common passwords, so they’ll most likely try to log in with credentials they think will work first. This means that if you use one password across different sites, it won’t take long for them to crack it open. The best thing you can do is use random characters and numbers when creating passwords and change them often.

Keep everything backed up on an external hard drive, thumb drive, CD or DVD, etc.

The easiest way to back up your computer is by simply burning everything onto one of these storage devices. Just make sure you don’t lose it! You can also back up files using an online service, but remember that doing so comes with risks of its own—you’re entrusting someone else with both your data and access to all of your files, which means they could be compromised.

Use better passwords than password1 or iloveyou123 (these are examples of weak passwords).

Many of us use common passwords that are easily cracked. Most security professionals recommend using at least eight characters, with at least three being letters and one number. A good password is a hard-to-guess phrase that’s easy for you to remember.