How to protect yourself from getting Hacked on the Internet

To be safe on the Internet,social media profiles  should be kept private so that strangers can’t easily find personal information online. When shopping online,it should be made sure the website ordering from has a small lock icon in the URL field, which means it’s secure and the info won’t get stolen. Also,while signing up for new accounts online, a unique password that contains numbers, symbols, and letters  should be used so it’s harder for people to steal information. To learn how to be safe while using the internet on smartphone, read more.

Method 1 :-

Protecting Your Passwords

Use strong, unique passwords. When creating a password for account, include a mix of numbers, symbols, and letters, both uppercase and lowercase.Using the same passwords for multiple accounts must beavoided. It’s harder to remember, but it will keep information much safer.

• Try abbreviating a phrase. For example, “Soda at dinner keeps you up at night” could become “S@dKuU@n!”
• Longer passwords are always stronger, so try using a favorite quote, or a line from a song, book, or movie. Remember that some websites have password length restrictions, so make sure to follow those as well.
• Avoid using common passwords like “123456” or “password,” or information that others might easily be able to find out, like a nickname, street, or the name of a pet.

Use a password manager to keep passwords safe and organized. Password managers automatically generate and store strong, unique passwords for each of accounts. Simply create one master password for the manager and let it keep all the others safe.

• Use some password managers for free, while more premium options are available for a fee.
• Popular, trustworthy password managers include 1Password and LastPass. Find others by searching for them online.
• You can also use your browser’s built-in password syncing service, although it’s considered less safe and more vulnerable to hacking, so use with caution.

Enable multi-factor authentication on accounts. Multi-factor authentication makes an account even more secure by requiring extra information to let log in, such as a code sent to phone. Many large email providers and social media accounts offer this service.

• To check whether an account has multi-factor authentication, check the site’s Settings page.
• This extra step might seem annoying, but it will keep information safer than just a password alone.

Sign up for accounts on legitimate sites only. Consider very carefully before making an account on a website, even if it just requires giving email address. No matter how secure your passwords are, using them on unsafe sites will put information in danger.

• Sites with misspellings or bad grammar in their addresses, which could be dangerous copycats of legitimate websites should be avoided.
• Sites that have lots of pop-ups, or numbers or gibberish in their addresses should be refrained from.

Log out of sites when done using them. Logging into a site creates a cookie in browser, which identifies and, if stolen, can compromise account. This is especially an issue on sites that hold sensitive information, like bank account or credit card number, so it’s always best to log out once finished.

• Log out of any site used on a public computer or network.
• Log out of any online banking or shopping site, even on home computer and network.
• It’s typically OK to keep your home computer logged on to accounts like your email or social media, as long as making sure to lock computer.

Method 2 :-

Using Social Media and Email Safely

Make profiles private. Keeping social media profiles private can make it harder for strangers to contact online or get a hold of information. Choosing an option that makes profile visible to only you or your friends is the key.

• Go to account settings and security or privacy menu to view and change privacy level.
• Even if choosing to keep profile public, make sure that crucial information, like address and phone number, is hidden.

Review what information is public on social media profiles. Important information on account can slip through the cracks and be made public, especially if recently made or edited profile. Head to the Privacy section of account to check what’s currently accessible by people who aren’t friends.

• Do this every few months or so to make sure that everything wanted to be private stays that way.

Think about whether regret posting something later. Part of being safe on the Internet is knowing what is and isn’t OK to post. It might feel fine in the moment to post something inappropriate or provocative, but remember that those posts can be screenshotted, seen, and shared by people all over the world, even if delete them.

Review posts tagged in before approving them. Can prevent something harmful or embarrassing from being linked to account by turning on tag review. This is especially important if friends’ accounts aren’t set to private; a post or image they tag in could be seen by anyone.

• Turn on tag review in privacy settings.
• Will get a notification when someone tags in a post, then have the option to approve the tag and put the post on own account, or to deny it.
• If still concerned about a photo even after removing tag, talk to the poster about taking it down.

Never give personal information to someone met online. This might seem obvious, but it’s still important to remember. No matter how well may think know someone met online, can never really be sure of who they are and whether they might be dangerous.

• Avoid giving out contact information like name, address, or phone number, as well as other information that might make it easy to find, like school or workplace.

Use caution when meeting in-person with someone met online. It’s best not to meet people in-person who only talked to online, but some situations might require it—if sold something on Craigslist, for example, or are using an online dating site. In these cases, meet in a public place and bring a friend with.

• If can’t bring a friend, tell someone where will be, who will be with, and for how long.
• If under 18, never agree to meet someone in-person who met online.

Use gender-neutral pseudonyms on forums. Even private or invite-only forums can be more dangerous than traditional forms of social media, so take extra care to protect identity. Use a gender-neutral pseudonym, and avoid posting pictures of or linking to other social media.

Don’t open emails or files from unknown people. Phishing scammers are people who use fake emails or messages to share personal information. If recieving email from an unfamiliar address, or from a known address but with a suspicious message, move it to spam folder.

• The email could also include links that might look legitimate, but never click on them until verified that it’s a legitimate message.
• If known person email was being used, tell them that their account has been hacked and report the phishing by filing a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
• Phishing scammers are often after bank account or Social Security number, so be extra cautious if getting email requesting money, login credentials, or very personal information.

Method 3 :-

Using Safe Sites and Network

Avoid clicking on sites that look fake or scammy. If even somewhat familiar with the Internet, chances are links can be recognized when you see them: bad grammar, popups, “click bait” headlines, or a false-looking web address. Avoid clicking on these sites and never download anything from them.

• Spending time on these kinds of websites can give computer a virus or make it crash.

Clear browsing history often to maintain privacy. Many sites have access to cookies, small text files that record preferences and let sites respond to them, often to show more relevant ads. However, cookies can also be used by hackers as a way to get personal information.

• Clear cookies every month or so to wipe out any personal information in them.

Do online shopping on encrypted sites. When shopping online or logging into online bank account, check the URL to make sure it starts with “https” instead of “http.” The “s” means that the website is secure and encrypts data so it can’t be stolen.

• Secure sites should also have a small lock icon in the URL field.
• Although it’s convenient to save payment information on a shopping site, always do so with caution, as this puts at risk if the site gets hacked.

Use private WiFi networks, never public ones. Public WiFi—like the kind might find at restaurants, hotels, or airports—is often unsecured, making it easier for someone to hack into computer. Only connect to an unsecured network if absolutely have to, and be aware of the risks it could come with.

• If often need WiFi on the go, try buying a virtual private network (VPN), a piece of hardware that can create a secure, private connection from anywhere.
• Connect with care on smartphone, too. If possible, confirm the name and login requirements of the WiFi with appropriate staff before connecting.

Use an antivirus extension on browser. For extra safety on the Internet, an antivirus extension can be downloaded to check the security of a site or block pop-up ads with viruses or malicious content. Remember to download only from a legitimate source, like the Chrome web store, to ensure that the extension is safe.

Install a firewall to protect your home network. A firewall is an electronic barrier that prevents unauthorized devices from getting access to computer or phone. Many computers come pre-loaded with a firewall; go to computer’s security section to check if it has one.

• For a fee, can also download firewall software from authorized sellers like Norton, McAfee, or Microsoft.

Keep computer’s software up to date. Most software updates come with security upgrades, so it’s important that have the latest version at all times. To easily download updates as soon as they come out, turn on automatic updates in computer’s Settings.

Method 4 :-

Staying Safe on Your Smartphone

Enable encryption software on phone. Many smartphones come encrypted, meaning that their software scrambles information so it can’t be accessed by unauthorized users. To check if phone is encrypted, go to its settings and click on the security tab.

• Automatically encrypted phones include iPhones, newer Androids, and Google’s Pixel phones.
• You can enable encryption software on your Android in its security menu.
• For extra protection, can download encryption applications from the app store.

Set Bluetooth to “non-discoverable.” Although phone’s Bluetooth isn’t as easy to hack into as a wireless network, hackers can still use it to access phone remotely when they’re in range. To prevent this, set Bluetooth’s default to “non-discoverable” so don’t pop up on hackers’ radar.

• If seeing an unknown Bluetooth request to pair with device, ignore or deny it right away.
• Take extra care in crowded areas where potential hackers are within range of Bluetooth, such as restaurants and public transportation.

Download apps from verified stores only. The easiest way for viruses to get into your phone is through downloads like apps. “Official” stores like the Apple app store or the Google Play store can typically be considered safe places to buy apps, but should never download one from any other site.

• Remember to read over the requirements, terms, and conditions an app has before you install it. This will be long and probably boring, but it’s important that you know exactly what is being installed onto the device.

Download  for extra protection. For the most reliable smartphone protection, can buy a mobile security package. These tools typically come with a firewall and spam protection, as well as GPS tracking to help you find a lost or stolen device.

• Some security packages also come with remote locking capabilities to prevent a stolen phone from being used.