While the Internet is a great resource for almost everything in your life, it can also open you up to being taken advantage of if you’re not careful. There are people out there who are always looking for a way to steal other people’s private information and use it for their own gain. Because of this, you’ve got to know what you can and should be doing to protect yourself.
To help you with this objective, here are three tips for protecting your sensitive information online.
Don’t Use Public WiFi
One of the first and most important rules about being on the Internet is to be very careful when you’re using public Wi-Fi. In fact, it’s actually going to be safest for you to never use public Wi-Fi, especially if you’re planning on visiting any websites where you have to sign in or are giving away any of your private information.
To best protect yourself, AT&T shares that you’ll always want to ensure that you’re protecting yourself when you use Wi-Fi on any device. If you’re protected, it will be much harder for hackers to track what you’re doing and steal any of your information that they can then use to exploit you.
Encrypt Sensitive Data
When you are sending sensitive data over the Internet, the FTC recommends that you always ensure that that data is encrypted.
To know if the websites you’re using are encrypted, you should always look for a lock sign right next to the URL in your web browser. Additionally, having an “s” at the end of “http” in the actual URL of the website you’re using is also an indicator that you’re on a website that’s acting to encrypt your data. And once your data is encrypted, it’s much harder for hackers to understand and use for nefarious purposes even if they do gain access to it.
Be Smart About Your Passwords
The passwords you use to sign in to any website or app can go a long way toward helping to protect your private data from being hacked.
To use passwords to your ultimate advantage, Patrick Ambron, a contributor to Forbes.com, suggests that you use a password manager plug-in on your web browser. With a password manager, your various and different passwords are all remembered for you. This allows you to have a strong password for every purpose without you having to worry about actually remembering all the details of each password.
If you’re worried about sharing any of your sensitive data and information on the Internet because it could fall into the wrong hands and be used against you, make sure you implement the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can better protect yourself from being hacked.