The recent Playstation security breach has opened many Internet users’ eyes to the importance of online security. If the wrong person gets their hands on your information, there is a possibility that the outcome could be harmful. Luckily, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to better protect your online identity.
Use an encrypted connection
Using an encrypted connection is an incredibly easy way to attain greater online security. Many websites, including most social networking sites, have recently adopted more secure connections, although you sometimes need to change the settings to get the extra level of security.
In order to see whether or not your connection is safe, check the URL. A secure connection will have a URL that begins with “https” instead of simply “http.” Unfortunately, all sites don’t use encrypted connections, so this is not always a possibility.
Use strong passwords
Strong passwords are quite easy to create and can make a tremendous difference in online security. Using a combination of numbers, symbols, spaces and upper- and lowercase letters can help to create a strong password. If you can’t see yourself using a lot of different characters, at least be sure to use a password that can’t easily be guessed.
Also, using a unique password for each site is vital. If you use the same password for multiple sites and one of those sites is hacked, you could be opening up all of your other accounts to hackers as well.
Look out for phishing
Phishing is quite a common practice because it so often works to help hackers obtain sensitive information. It is essentially when a hacker poses as a reliable business, such as a bank, to try to get your passwords, account numbers or usernames.
Epsilon’s recent data breach was a great example of the possibility of phishing. Their network was hacked into and thousands of names and email addresses were exposed, making thousands of people vulnerable to phishing attempts.
These three tips are particularly easy to follow and do not take much work on your part. If you are interested in a few more tips, check out this article.
