Top 10 Internet Safety Rules

Top 10 Internet safety rules to follow to help you avoid getting into trouble online (and offline).
1. Keep Personal Information Professional and Limited - Potential employers or customers don't need to know your personal relationship status
or your home address. They do need to know about your expertise and professional background, and how to get in touch with you. You wouldn't
hand purely personal information out to strangers individually—don't hand it out to millions of people online.
2. Keep Your Privacy Settings On - Marketers love to know all about you, and so do hackers. Both can learn a lot from your browsing and social
media usage. But you can take charge of your information. As noted by Lifehacker, both web browsers and mobile operating systems have
settings available to protect your privacy online. Major websites like Facebook also have privacy-enhancing settings available. These settings
are sometimes (deliberately) hard to find because companies want your personal information for its marketing value. Make sure you have
enabled these privacy safeguards, and keep them enabled.
3. Practice Safe Browsing - You wouldn't choose to walk through a dangerous neighborhood—don't visit dangerous neighborhoods online.
Cybercriminals use lurid content as bait. They know people are sometimes tempted by dubious content and may let their guard down when
searching for it. The Internet's demimonde is filled with hard-to-see pitfalls, where one careless click could expose personal data or infect your
device with malware. By resisting the urge, you don't even give the hackers a chance.
4. Make Sure Your Internet Connection is Secure - Use a Secure VPN Connection When you go online in a public place, for example by using a
public Wi-Fi connection, PCMag notes you have no direct control over its security. Corporate cybersecurity experts worry about "endpoints"—
the places where a private network connects to the outside world. Your vulnerable endpoint is your local Internet connection. Make sure your
device is secure, and when in doubt, wait for a better time (i.e., until you're able to connect to a secure Wi-Fi network) before providing
information such as your bank account number. To further improve your Internet browsing safety, use secure VPN connection (virtual private
network). VPN enables you to have a secure connection between your device and an Internet server that no one can monitor or access the data
that you’re exchanging.
5. Be Careful What You Download - A top goal of cybercriminals is to trick you into downloading malware—programs or apps that carry malware
or try to steal information. This malware can be disguised as an app: anything from a popular game to something that checks traffic or the
weather. As PCWorld advises, don't download apps that look suspicious or come from a site you don't trust.
6. Choose Strong Passwords - Passwords are one of the biggest weak spots in the whole Internet security structure, but there's currently no
way around them. And the problem with passwords is that people tend to choose easy ones to remember (such as "password" and "123456"),
which are also easy for cyber thieves to guess. Select strong passwords that are harder for cybercriminals to demystify. Password manager
software can help you to manage multiple passwords so that you don't forget them. A strong password is one that is unique and complex—at
least 15 characters long, mixing letters, numbers and special characters.
7. Make Online Purchases From Secure Sites - Any time you make a purchase online, you need to provide credit card or bank account
information—just what cybercriminals are most eager to get their hands on. Only supply this information to sites that provide secure, encrypted
connections. As Boston Universitynotes, you can identify secure sites by looking for an address that starts with https: (the S stands for secure)
rather than simply http: They may also be marked by a padlock icon next to the address bar.
8. Be Careful What You Post - The Internet does not have a delete key, as that young candidate in New Hampshire found out. Any comment or
image you post online may stay online forever because removing the original (say, from Twitter) does not remove any copies that other people
made. There is no way for you to "take back" a remark you wish you hadn't made, or get rid of that embarrassing selfie you took at a party. Don't
put anything online that you wouldn't want your mom or a prospective employer to see.
9. Be Careful Who You Meet Online - People you meet online are not always who they claim to be. Indeed, they may not even be real.
As InfoWorld reports, fake social media profiles are a popular way for hackers to cozy up to unwary Web users and pick their cyber pockets. Be
as cautious and sensible in your online social life as you are in your in-person social life.
10. Keep Your Antivirus Program Up To Date - Internet security software cannot protect against every threat, but it will detect and remove most
malware—though you should make sure it's to date. Be sure to stay current with your operating system's updates and updates to applications
you use. They provide a vital layer of security.
https://usa.kaspersky.com/resource-center/preemptive-safety/top-10-internet-safety-rules-and-what-not-to-do-online

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Top 10 Internet safety rules to follow to help you avoid getting into trouble online (and offline).

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