How to Keep You and Your Family Safe Online: Best Protection Practices

Over the years, the internet has grown so much that it has turned out to be part of our daily lives. Regularly, we supply it with our information, work remotely with it, and most importantly, it has become one of the primary means of communication. Online activities have indeed made life better and easier by connecting us with the world.

But even with the encompassing features of the internet, not many users understand how to practice internet safety for themselves and their families. Many are just enthusiastic about ticking the privacy policy boxes and pay little or no attention to the related terms and conditions. Others carelessly download files and may even apply a one-password-fits-all practice to security.

Hackers love people who carelessly use the internet. While many tech enthusiasts can easily figure out potential signs of a scam, an ordinary user may not easily foresee some hack approaches. You don’t have to be a tech guru to take advantage of the protection practices below and keep you and your family safe from prowling hackers.

Best Protection Practices for Your Family

Limit how much personal information you share online

You could be at risk of sharing your most vital information. Sensitive data, such as your kids’ name, your high school, birth date, etc. could serve as bait for hackers or scammers. They could leverage this information to answer security questions or guess your passwords.

If you want to share any information with your family or friends, you can send it directly in an encrypted file. Avoid sharing information you wouldn’t give to strangers on the internet. Educate your family about the associated dangers of divulging personal details on the internet.

Buy from trusted and secure sites

Online shopping is one of the most popular activities on the internet. So when shopping online, ensure you choose a reliable source. Practice safe browsing as well as maintain online safety using encrypted sites. A good way to find out if the site is encrypted is by observing its URL.

The general rule is that any site that requires you to enter information such as your credit card details and other sensitive data will have a padlock icon next to its name and a URL starting with https://. This implies that the website is encrypted. Such sites will scramble users’ data, making it difficult to decode. A site that doesn’t adhere to the HTTPS protocol has no security and is not trustworthy to buy items online.

Safe-browsing practice

A site may be unsafe if it features too many pop-ups and ads, for example. Dismiss any site you suspect to be not genuine. You stand a better chance of infecting your device with malware by spending much time on a dubious page.

A good way to protect your family from suspicious sites is by turning on Google Safe Browsing in your settings. This service checks site URLs and figures out any webpage that may likely be dangerous while preventing you from visiting such sites.

Download cautiously

Don’t download any file from a site you doubt, regardless of how authentic the site may look. At times, download links for certain apps and software come from hackers. You may end up being redirected to other questionable sites and attacked by malware or lose your information.

Most times, a fake ‘download button’ coupled with an annoying AdChoices logo pops up. Whenever you experience this, it implies that you are about to download something from an illegal source.

Check your child’s online activities regularly

You should routinely check on your child’s browsing activities if they do this from time to time. This will help to ensure they are not on an unsafe site. While you monitor friend requests you receive, also monitor theirs.

Ask them regularly the reason they are online and who they chat with. You should timely review their browsing history to see if they are safe or not. A good option is to enable Parental Controls to block inappropriate apps and websites and limit the time spent online.

Check your internet connection security

You will want to prevent hackers from using your Wi-Fi by putting in your password. When doing this, you should endeavor to use a very strong password that third parties or hackers cannot guess. You should also consider editing the SSID to prevent others from figuring out the model you use.

Another way to reinforce your security is by changing the type of encryption. You may consider changing your Wi-Fi security type to the more advanced WPA2 if it uses either WPA or WEP. Changing to WPA2 provides you with reliable security features because it uses Advanced Encryption Standards (AES).

Be cautious of who you meet online

90% of online scams or fraud originates from creating fake accounts. Hackers or scammers are fond of this practice to get information from unsuspecting victims. Indeed, this hiding behind a fake social media profile has been a growing threat to users. Malicious actors do this by imitating someone close to you and creating a profile in their name.

You should decline requests you are not sure of. Even if a request is coming from someone you are familiar with, ensure to carefully scrutinize such a profile to be sure you are accepting a known person’s request. Do not wait for a second to block anyone trying to extort personal information, such as banking details, from you. Double-check your new internet acquaintances on PhoneHistory to make sure they are who they say they are.

As you do this, remember to carry your family members along. Let them know how dangerous it can be to talk to someone they don’t know online. This will also help you prevent them from meeting someone they meet online. Who knows? Kidnappers also chat with children under the guise of a family and seek to meet with them.

Conclusion

While you may be informed enough of all possible gimmicks scammers may employ to get information from you, don’t forget to carry your family along. Ensure you give what it takes to review their browsing history. Don’t always assume they know everything.

Strangers may even get your information through them. Review their history to see who they have been chatting with. With the above practices, you can be sure that you and your family will be safe from hacking or fraud online.

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