7 Essential Tips to Avoid Getting Hacked Online
Be Safe From Hackers and Cyber Attacks!
In today’s society, the use of social media and other online services has become an essential part of our daily lives.
That being said, modern technology comes with modern problems. Numerous online security threats have also surfaced as a result of our ever-increasing reliance on the Internet.
This begs the ultimate question:
How can I protect myself from hackers and cyber-attacks?
To protect yourself from these cybersecurity threats, it is important to know how these vulnerabilities came to be in the first place.
There are two main reasons why online accounts get hacked:
1. software and network flaws
2. human errors
While the first reason is beyond your control, the best thing that you can do is focus on addressing the second one.
Human errors can be dealt with by constantly making positive changes to your online habits and behavior.
Here are 7 useful tips to help you develop healthy online practices and potentially avoid getting hacked online:
1. Use strong passwords.
Let’s talk about passwords. It’s 2022 and I can’t believe I’m still saying this, but please stop using passwords that hackers can easily guess.
If you’re still using “abcd123”, your phone number, your dog’s name, or even your birthday as your password, then you need to change it right now.
Easy passwords are susceptible to a hacker’s brute-force attacks. With this method, the hacker will come up with a list of possible word-number combinations and phrases until one of them matches your password.
A strong password should contain the following characters:
1. upper and lower case letters
2. random numbers
3. symbols
4. no ties to your personal information
5. at least 8 characters or longer
An example of a strong password would look like this: fyX@2.19#T
You’re probably thinking, “But that password is so hard to remember!” Look on the bright side. If it’s hard to remember, then it’s probably even harder to guess.
To easily remember your passwords, I recommend following the next tip on this list.
2. Use a Password Manager.
As a follow-up to tip number 1, please stop using the same password for all your online accounts! This is a very dangerous habit.
Use a password manager to help you remember your passwords and log in credentials, no matter how random or difficult to guess they may be.
I would highly recommend using a cloud-based password manager. This will allow you to sync and access your passwords anytime on multiple devices.
There are plenty of password managers available to choose from. Some of them are completely free, while most of them have pay-to-unlock features.
You can download one right now on the App Store or Play Store.
3. Enable 2FA on your online accounts.
You’ve probably heard of the term 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication).
The 2FA method requires the user to provide two or more identity verification factors to log in to an online account.
This provides an additional layer of security by ensuring that no one can log in to your account unless they have access to your other personal accounts or info.
The 2FA method typically works by prompting you to enter an OTP (One-Time Password) that is either sent to your phone number or e-mail address as a form of verification.
Other 2FA methods include generating a security code for your account as an alternative password or using a physical security key such as a USB device for access.
4. Use email aliases if you can.
Besides using strong passwords and 2FA methods, people often forget that emails are also crucial to your account’s security.
Your hacker won’t be able to access your online account if they only have your password. They also need your email address or username to complete the log in process.
Email aliases work by concealing your real email address. If the hacker knows your real email address, they might attempt to use it in accessing all your social media accounts.
However, if you use different email aliases, this can throw off the hacker and give them tons of extra work in figuring out the rest of your log in credentials.
You can generate email aliases by using email forwarding services and alias generators like SimpleLogin and Anonaddy.
5. Learn to identify phishing attacks and scams.
Whenever you receive a suspicious email or text, don’t click it right away.
Stop. Stop and look at the sender’s email or phone number.
Do you know who this sender is? If not, then don’t click it. Don’t click any links or images that are found on a message that does not come from a well-known or trusted source.
A phishing attack occurs when a hacker pretends to be a trusted entity and sends you an email or text that attempts to steal your log in credentials.
The attack may be disguised as a website from a trusted bank, business, or organization. Your hacker could even pretend to be a Nigerian prince!
Phishing scams may contain messages like “Your account has been compromised. Change your password now!” and other fraudulent, enticing messages that will prompt you (the victim) to enter your email and password.
Once you give your log in credentials to these phishing scams, your information will be sent to the hacker and it will be used to hack your account.
6. Review your account’s log in history regularly.
This tip is very self-explanatory.
Occasionally checking your log in history is vital in determining if there are any unusual or suspicious activities on your online accounts.
Most social media and email services allow you to check the devices to which your account is currently logged in. They might also contain the date and time when these devices were used to access your account.
If you see any suspicious device that’s not yours, remove that device from your account and immediately change your password.
7. Use Incognito or Private Browsing mode when logging in on someone else’s device.
If you’re going to log in to your account using someone else’s device, always use Incognito or Private Browsing mode on their web browsers.
This tip also applies when you’re using computers at an internet cafe or any public PC.
Being on Incognito or Private Browsing mode prevents web history, cookies, and other log in data from being stored on their device.
So in case you exit their browser and forget to log out, your data will automatically be wiped out.
As a golden rule, never leave your digital footprints behind on someone else’s device or publicly-used computers. It provides a relatively easy way for hackers to steal your information.
Conclusion
The best time to start practicing healthy online habits is now.
Enhance your cybersecurity awareness and be safe from hackers and cyber attacks. In our contemporary society, your online presence and safety matters a great deal.
Although these tips and suggestions do not guarantee that your online accounts will be 100% hack-proof, it’s better to have some form of protection than none, right?
As the old adage goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Got any useful tips to add?
Feel free to leave them on the comments section.
