How to protect your online activity in 2020
We are all often warned about the risks of certain online spaces, but it’s not always easy to know who you can trust to set you on the right path.
Here are some of the best ways of ensuring that you are keeping your online activity safe, and resources you can turn to when you are feeling uncertain about your security.
Gaming
Whether you’re a professional gamer or a casual player, you can be highly vulnerable to scammers, or untrustworthy sites and downloads that seek to gain access to your personal information.
The popularity of online casino, for instance, means that a number of sites seek to draw in new users for nefarious purposes. When you know that your data is protected, you can simply enjoy the excitement of gameplay. Look for the most trustworthy resources to help guide you through your online experiences, such as this UK list of the best and most trustworthy online casino sites for you to enjoy, without needing to worry about potential concerns over privacy or security.
Authorised sites within the UK are subject to strict policies and practices, and, provided you are using a trustworthy site, you needn’t worry about scams.
Shopping
Online shopping offers a wealth of advantages over visiting the high street, but it can render us more vulnerable to unsavoury sites seeking to benefit from your personal data.
When it comes to ensuring that you are only shopping through reliable and safe sites, resources such as Trust Pilot offer great interest into the legitimacy of brands. Do not put all your faith in the green padlock symbol, and don’t pass your bank details over an unsecure WiFi network – such as the public WiFi available in cafes and airports.
Email phishing is a targeting method of attack, often seeking to impersonate a trusted source in order to trick you into handing over your passwords or security codes. These attacks are incredibly common, and if you’re not sure on what to look out for, you could be vulnerable to giving attackers access to your bank accounts, and your most personal information.
There are a number of ways for you to detect a potential scam. Take a look at this list of scams to look out for whenever you receive an email containing an attachment, or asking for your login details – even if you think you know the sender.
Improve Upon Your Existing Passwords
Back in the early days of the internet, passwords offered plenty of security for users. Nowadays, as scams and attacks grow increasingly advanced, we all need to be aware of the ways in which we can improve our login details and ensure that our accounts are inaccessible to hackers.
Simple passwords can be hacked very easily, and the more you use that same password across multiple accounts, the easier it will be for your identity to be stolen. Change your passwords regularly, and don’t use them uniformly across all of your social media channels and online shopping accounts.
Furthermore, two-factor authentication offers a much stronger line of defence. While it may sound complicated, it needn’t be; it can be as simple as utilising a password, and having a unique login code sent to your phone each time you log in.
Understand the risk
One of the best defences you have against online criminals is being constantly mindful of the risk. There are plenty of safe, trustworthy, and secure spaces online for you to enjoy, whether you are looking for entertainment or shopping, but there are also sites that cannot – under any circumstances – be trusted.