4 Practical, Realistic Ways to Stay Safe Online
Sometimes feeling safe online can feel overwhelming — here are four practical, realistic things you can do to stay safe.
Here are four things you can do to stay safer online (which we’ll discuss in more detail below):
- Keep your devices up-to-date
- Use built-in anti-virus (no need to buy it)
- Use strong passwords & MFA for your important accounts
- If it’s too good to be true, it probably is
1. Device Updates
Recommendation: Update devices in a reasonable amount of time, perhaps when you go to bed.
Many device updates come with important security patches, which is one reason your devices prompts you to “restart and update.” While updating is important, these prompts often come when we’re in the middle of something — replying to an email, FaceTiming with a family member, etc. — resulting in us often ignoring the annoying prompts.
To find a good compromise between applying security updates and getting things done, apply these updates at times when you’re not using your device, such as:
- When you’re showering
- At bedtime
- During family dinner
Because of your busy schedule, you may not be able to update your device for a few days. Just be sure to not go weeks without updating your devices, as your risk of getting hacked will greatly go up.
2. Anti-virus
Recommendation: Use the anti-virus software your device comes with.
I’m often asked which anti-virus software we recommend, which is why I’m talking about it here. Generally speaking, most users are just fine using the built-in anti-virus software their computer comes with (e.g., Windows Defender). These built-in anti-virus programs do a good job detecting malware, and the extra money spent on other anti-virus products don’t provide any significant safety (for the normal user).
If you do want to purchase an anti-virus program, I recommend Cylance. I’ve met one of their Vice Presidents and had him present on their product. It’s leaps and bounds better than other anti-virus software and doesn’t slow your computer down. (I’m not paid or affiliated with Cylance in any way — this recommendation is from my personal experience and research.) You should also spend time researching the current, best products to find a match right for you.
If you’re a parent/guardian and want to filter or monitor your children’s devices, you might need to purchase other software. One of my sites, SecureFamilies.org (no ads — just there as a public service. Hosting is cheap) covers online security for families and has additional information for you.
3. Strong Passwords & MFA
Recommendation: Use strong passwords for your important accounts (e.g., bank account) and don’t stress too much about trivial accounts.
Creating, remembering and typing in strong passwords can be a really frustrating process! Because of this, I recommend you worry about using strong passwords for only your important accounts.*
Why do I recommend this? Most of us are likely to create weak passwords (or reuse the same one) for all of our accounts. You have a better chance of making unique, strong passwords if you only need to remember ~6 passwords (as opposed to dozens). It’s also more important to protect your life savings than, say, your Pinterest board. If your Pinterest account gets hacked, it may be annoying but it won’t cause significant harm (like having thousands of your savings suddenly stolen would).
I talk here about 4 practical ways to make strong passwords.
MFA (Multi-factor authentication)
This is where you get a text message (or use an app) that contains a code. You have to enter in this code after your password. Doing this greatly reduces your risk of having your important accounts hacked.
*What do you mean by “important accounts”?
Important accounts are those accounts that have access to your:
- Financial info (e.g., bank and credit card sites)
- Email accounts (email accounts are frequently used to reset passwords)
- Other personal info (e.g., social media, employer HR portals, etc.)
4. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is :/
Recommendation: Beware of scams and emails that look/feel off and don’t give out your passwords to other people.
Lots of scammers/hackers try to manipulate people into giving away sensitive information, like credit card numbers, the last four of their social security number and passwords. They also try to get people to send them money in order to participate in ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunities. These are scams. Yes, making that much money that easily would be nice, but these people are trying to swindle you of your hard-earned money :/
A useful tip is: If you didn’t reach out to an institution, don’t give out your sensitive information. If needed, call the purported institution back or directly type in their URL. Additionally — the IRS/FBI won’t ever call you, demanding money. They’ll contact you via mail and provide ways for you to verify their identity.
Also: Microsoft tech support won’t ever call you about a security problem with your computer. These scammers will attempt to install malware, copy & paste all of your files (including sensitive/private data), make you pay for their ‘services,’ etc.
In short: If something looks, sounds or feels fishy, trust your instincts. You’ll be better off verifying than going along and potentially falling for a scam.
Conclusion
While there are many things you can do to stay safe online, this article has talked about 4 practical & realistic things you can do on a daily basis to be much safer. By doing these things, you can greatly reduce your risk of getting ‘hacked’ in an impactful way.
I hope you’ve enjoyed and found this article useful! If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or contact me.
Note: Due to the infeasibility of covering every security risk and to prevent overloading (i.e., giving you too many things to consider), I’m unable cover every topic or every risk. That said, properly following the suggestions on this site will make your online life more secure.
Modified version of material on one of my sites, introtosecurity.com.
[Disclaimer: This is not legal nor consultative advice.]
