With each year passing by, scams and phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated, finding creative ways to target unsuspecting users through emails, fake websites, text and social media. Cybercriminals are no longer targeting mega-corporations like AT&T, WazirX, Star Health and others, but are also preying on individuals to dupe them of their money and digital identity. While many of us are cautious when visiting a new website or clicking on a link from a random person, it's always important to stay vigilant. From using complex passwords to using two-factor authentication, here are 5 simple yet effective online safety tips that can help you avoid scams and phishing attempts. Avoid using the same password for all websites While using the same password on all websites is pretty convenient, it also happens to be one of the most common ways used by hackers to steal your digital identity. If you are hit by a data breach, chances are that your password will be up for sale somewhere on the dark web. If you are someone who uses the same password on all websites, this can be risky as hackers may attempt to use your email address to log in to other services as well. This is why most experts suggest using different passwords for different websites. In case this is too time-consuming or if you don't want to go through the hassle of remembering all your passwords, consider using a free password manager, which can help you generate random passwords and even help you auto-fill when trying to log in to a website. Use multifactor or two-factor authentication This year was one of the worst years in recent history when it comes to data breaches. In some cases, some of these data breaches took place because companies avoided using multifactor (MFA) or two-factor (2FA) authentication mechanisms. To stay secure while browsing the internet, make sure you enable two-factor or multifactor authentication on all possible websites. For those wondering, 2FA and MFA offer additional layers of security by requiring users to enter a one-time code in addition to their password. Always keep your software up to date One of the most common ways hackers can steal your information is by taking advantage of known vulnerabilities in software like internet browsers. While some of them come with anti-tampering protection and spam detection, many are defenceless against unknown threats. However, you can bolster your online security by keeping the software up to date. Not only do new versions of popular software introduce new features, they also contain security updates and patches, which might potentially help fix the security loopholes hackers might use to steal information. Use VPNs on public networks From selling your browsing habits to advertisers to allowing governments to spy on you, VPNs have their share of downsides, but they are really useful if you are browsing the internet on a public network. While most of the web traffic is encrypted these days, some websites may not be using the best safety practices, a VPN can help you keep personally identifiable information secure. If you are confused about which VPN to use, here's a list of some of the best-paid VPNs available. Keep track of the URL you are visiting This may sound boring and may be irrelevant for people who browse a limited number of websites, make sure you make a habit of double-checking URLs before clicking on them. Many scammers now try to steal information by luring users to enter their login credentials on a fake page that looks exactly like the legitimate one. Some of the easiest ways to check URLs is to see if they use 'https' instead of 'http' and ensure that the sub-section of the website has the same name as the original one. For example. google.com is legitimate, but google.secure.com isn't. While the internet is a big and scary place, these 5 basic online safety tips can help you stay secure against most scams and phishing attempts. However, nothing is rock solid, and you might still get hacked despite taking all precautions.
