9 Security Measures to Protect Your Personal Data

The protection of your personal data is currently an issue of vital importance due to the growth of Internet access, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in the number of hours we spend browsing the Internet. What has caused a considerable increase in the number of hackers and scams to unsuspecting cybernauts by not knowing security measures?

In the USA, in 2019, 2 out of 10 people suffered some type of cybercrime; However, malicious activity grew by 14% due to the current health emergency. 80% of victims affected by this faced various problems, such as the unauthorized installation of applications on their devices, identity theft, and illegal use of financial information.

For this reason, we want to share some measures to prevent you from one day being a victim of cybercrime :

1. Choose Strong Passwords

The more complex your password, the more difficult it will be for others to guess it and thus avoid the theft of your personal data. Whenever you go to choose a password, combine uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and numbers. It is best not to use the same password in all your accounts, or include dates of birth, anniversaries, or phone numbers.

Do not convey your usernames and passwords with anyone. Get in the habit of changing the passwords for all your accounts and your home network at least every two months. And in the case of suspecting that one of your passwords has been compromised, change it instantly because you will be more vulnerable to cybercrime.

2. Be Careful With the Information You Share on Your Social Networks

Secure the privacy of each of your accounts so that your information cannot be seen by anyone. Never publish personal data or images of the area where you live, address, and telephone number.

3. Provide Personal Data Only on Trusted Sites

Many pages ask for personal information. Before giving them, you must make sure that it is not a fake website, what personal data they need, and what they will use it for. Also check that the website that requests the information has the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol, that is, that the address that appears in the browser starts with HTTPS. This allows the personal data you shared to travel over an encrypted channel.

4. Protection of Your Personal Data: Download Files Only From Recognized Sites

There are websites for free downloading programs that trick users into obtaining personal data and access to your computer, and when downloading the application, malicious content is executed in a hidden way that destroys or appropriates stored personal data, such as card numbers, social security number, passwords, emails, among others. To avoid this concern, browse and download-only content from trusted sites.

5. Read the Terms and Conditions

Although it seems heavy, it is important to read all the terms and conditions before installing an application or service. This way you will know what rights the application or service provider will have over your information and the use of your personal data.

6. Don't Trust Strangers

One of the main forms of personal data theft is the submission of files, forms, and contact requests through fake profiles and accounts. Therefore, it is best not to open files of the doubtful origin or accept unknown people with possible false profiles on social networks.

7. Avoid Connecting to Public Networks

Many places offer free Wi-Fi access, but as tempting as it may be, be careful, you don't know who can access your devices or what security measures they have. If you still decide to connect, never enter personal data or access banking services, email, and social networks.

8. Close All Your Sessions and Clean the Browser

When you finish using the browser, always remember to close your session from email, social networks, messaging, etc. Also, delete recent files (cache) that were viewed. The browser stores all the pages that you visited, so it is also advisable to clear the history to prevent other people from seeing it.

9. Install and Update Your Antivirus

Protect your computer with antivirus programs and firewalls and configure them to update frequently. The protection of your personal data on the Internet is the most important thing. Use these tips to greatly reduce the chances that your information will fall into the wrong hands or suffer identity theft.