While it may seem safe when you are in your home to share things with the world, you are putting yourself at risk. The second you put any bit of information online you need to be concerned about its safety – and that includes things that are already online, such as your online banking account. Being secure online is just another way we need to look out for ourselves. If you do not already practice these simple security measures, you need to start today:
- Keep Track of Where You are Logged In
While you should always sign out of accounts when you are using public devices, there is more to keeping track of where you are logged in. We sign up for new accounts and subscriptions every day, and often, we forget about them. Keep track of where you sign up and, periodically, delete the accounts that you don’t use. You don’t want your information in places that you don’t regularly frequent. Stay safe by always knowing who has your information.
- Use Multiple Passwords and Two-Step Verification
Having one password for every login is a big mistake. When a hacker gets access to your email and password, he would be able to access every account you have online. You can, of course, have one simple password for log ins that don’t have more information about you, but you need to make sure that your biggest and most used accounts (especially for your online banking) are different and unique. Stay away from simple passwords for the important accounts!
- Have Digital Security Systems in Place
Not having a security system in place opens you up to viruses. These viruses can hijack your computer and steal your data or hold your data hostage. Having a digital security system on your device protects you while you surf the Internet and it scans through your downloads. Always have the system on and running and only download from reputable sources. Further, you should also run full-system scans ever month, to ensure that there isn’t anything the security system missed.
- Know Your Hardware
Knowing your hardware is also how you can stay secure. One of the biggest reasons for lost data is broken storage systems. If your storage system has been broken, always go to a professional before you give up. There are solutions even for when you need RAID server repair.
- Store Information Correctly
The other most common reason that people lose information is because, simply, they have mislabeled it or not labelled it at all. Always have your information from uploads to downloads to digital creations stored correctly. Have a simple, effective system so that it doesn’t matter how old the data is – you can still find it.
Knowing how to secure your digital information is more than just making sure your password has a number, a symbol, and both upper and lower case letters. It means knowing where your information is, it means having a security system, it means protecting your data from theft and from being lost. Follow these top tips and be more secure today.
