During this period of confinement in which we are connected to the Internet for much of the day, it is necessary to know how we can protect our online presence. The pandemic has transformed home Wi-Fi into an indispensable tool with which we study, work and have fun, and now more than ever we must take care of it from cyber attacks and hackers . In this article we want you to know 3 basic rules that you must keep in mind to surf the Internet safely and take care of all your personal information.
Protect your devices
Although this may seem like an obvious recommendation, not many people know how to protect their devices against cyber attacks. First of all, it is recommended to have antivirus software on all your devices, such as your computer, mobile phone and tablet. In this way, you can detect any virus that tries to affect your device easily and quickly.
Another way to keep your devices always protected is to use a VPN, which helps encrypt your Internet connection. With a VPN (or Virtual Private Network ) you can keep your IP anonymous when you connect to the Internet, making you invisible to cybercriminals. This technology creates a “tunnel” where all the information you receive and send in encrypted form travels, to avoid any cyber attack.
Additionally, VPNs can help hide your internet activity from ISP providers or government agencies, which is very useful during confinement, as an increase in cyber attacks has been seen, as mentioned in this article . If you still do not know what a VPN is, we encourage you to discover this technology that is gaining more and more followers in Spain.
Download only trusted files
The entry of viruses through downloads is very common, since they enter directly into your devices. Care should be taken when downloading files, applications, images or programs. We recommend that you only download items that come from recognized or official websites and trusted senders.
If you do not know the sender or receive a strange message by email or social media, it is best to ignore it and not download any files that are sent to you, to minimize the risk.
Choose strong passwords
A password is the key that allows us to enter different websites or applications, and if that key is easy to copy, we can have a serious problem. The password is usually the only thing that protects our information, so we must choose one that is secure so that it cannot be easily hacked .
Experts generally say that a good password should be quite long and that it should include numbers, capitals, and symbols. In addition, it is recommended not to repeat passwords between several accounts, especially in online banking, social networks or email, which usually contain sensitive information. It is also recommended to activate 2-step verification, which will give you more tools to protect your account.
Why is it important to have a protected connection?
As we could see, there are several tips and tools that you can apply to improve your online security from home. Especially during the pandemic, the Internet occupies a very important place in our day to day and we must ensure how to use this network in a more responsible way and optimize its use, as discussed in this link .
These tips can be applied to any device you have connected to the Internet, to minimize the risk and thus protect your personal or work information. During this time when we are highly dependent on our Internet connection, it is important to keep it safe in order to navigate with confidence and peace of mind.