Cybersecurity rules to keep you protected online

In the modern age of information, security systems in the online world have become very sophisticated. They protect us to the best of their abilities, but we as users are also part of the system. Some responsibility will always be on us and our common sense. It is worth remembering the following few cybersecurity rules in order to use the Internet reasonably.

Be sensible about your passwords

Many authorization systems demand strong passwords with a minimal length, uppercase letters, digits, and special characters. While being a little annoying, this is actually for our own good. Only guessing the key can crack modern cryptographic algorithms. The more possibilities, the harder it gets. A good 12-character key with random characters would take hundreds of years to crack. You should also use separate passwords for different services. You don’t want several of your accounts to get hacked at the same time! If you feel overwhelmed, use a password manager to protect them under one master key.

Mind the HTTPS padlock

This little sign:? in the address bar of your browser signifies that a given website uses an HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP. The former one incorporates a security aspect, so you can safely type private data into web forms. Without HTTPS, all this information can be easily read by a hacker – all your passwords, chat messages, banking info. Luckily, this secure protocol is getting more prevalent in WWW, even when not obligatory.

Don’t trust public networks

When using your home connection, you trust your Internet provider to employ the necessary safety features. Otherwise, your private data (like browsing history) could get into the wrong hands. But in public Wi-Fi, anyone within range could potentially be an attacker. So questions arise: how secure is my device? Will someone snoop on what I browse online? Will my passwords remain secret? Using HTTPS should protect you, but better safe than sorry. Opt for mobile Internet instead of public Wi-DFi when possible.

Install an encrypted VPN

Virtual Private Network transfers all your data through a remote server. If such a channel is safeguarded, so is all your data transfer: web content, downloads, video streams, etc. This eliminates the above-mentioned issue of insecure public Wi-Fi and helps while browsing HTTP pages. Besides, VPN also boosts your privacy by altering your IP address. Remember that for security’s sake, encryption is a must. For example, Tuxler online VPN service has military-grade encryption integrated.

Watch out for phishing

This is not a technical, but rather psychological fraud. The point is to convince a victim to voluntarily act irresponsibly and take advantage of it. Examples are:

• Fake emails urging to give out personal data for some ‘verification’.
• Blackmails, threatening to somehow compromise you unless you pay a ransom.
• Scams tempting with future returns on nonexistent investments.
• Claims that you must quickly install some software to protect your system from something.

The above guidelines are far from being the only cybersecurity rules guidelines you need to follow. There are too many attacks and deceptions appearing every day to predict every single one. The best advice would be: to be reasonable and careful with who you trust. Enter your sensitive information only where really justified, and browse safely! Hope the above suggestions “Cybersecurity rules to keep you protected online” you really liked.