How to Protect Yourself Online
A few simple steps can go a long way toward protecting you — and your data.
By Truc Nguyen
Take steps to protect your data online — it will reduce your chances of experiencing a cybercrime. | PHOTO: PHILIP ORONI/UNSPLASH+
Whether you’re online banking, instant messaging, using social media or making purchases, you’re among the more than 95 percent of Canadians over the age of 15 who regularly use the internet. With the growing prevalence of online scams and digital security breaches, it’s important to keep cybersecurity awareness top of mind when you’re online.
Fortunately, experts say there are actions you can take to protect yourself from common cybercrimes. Through education, practicing good “system hygiene” and using the appropriate tools, it’s possible to protect your data and personal information, and reduce your chances of experiencing a cybersecurity incident.
Begin with the basics of internet safety
There are plenty of easy, low-cost ways to improve your online safety:
- Install antivirus software on your computer.
- Ensure your home wifi is secure and password-protected. Look for a closed lock icon beside the name of the network you’re using in the wifi drop-down menu on your device.
- When online, use a virtual private network (VPN), a service that creates a secure, private connection between your device and the internet.
- Employ a password manager to keep track of your login information for multiple accounts. (More on that to come.)
- Use multi-factor authentication.
“These are all basic parts of a good system that we call ‘system hygiene,’” says Dr. James Norrie, professor, cybersecurity expert and CEO of the cybersecurity company cyberconIQ.
It’s also important to ensure that all your software and apps are up to date, so you’re better protected against security deficiencies. “When you get a security update, install it — make sure you aren’t behind,” says Norrie. “Upgrade to the latest version of browsers as well.”
Additionally, take some time to do an annual checkup on the privacy and security settings of your online accounts and devices, says Kathy Macdonald, a cybercrime awareness specialist. For example, you can check in your device’s settings menu to confirm which apps and accounts have access to your location sharing, contact list, microphone and camera. In your settings, you can review permissions by data type and turn access on or off whenever you like.
Using a VPN, or virtual private network, helps protect your online privacy and data. | PHOTO: ENVATO/AFRICAIMAGES
Get scam savvy
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s becoming harder to detect online scams. The perpetrators of cybercrimes are already using AI, Norrie notes. “[Online scams] are not nearly as detectable as they used to be,” he says. For example, phishing emails, which aim to trick or motivate individuals to click on dangerous links or share sensitive or personal information, now rarely contain telltale spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. “It’s really important, now more than ever... to be that much more vigilant to keep yourself safer online.”
Macdonald says the best way to protect yourself is to become familiar with common cybercrime tactics and techniques, and be aware of your state of mind — tired, hungry, stressed, etc. — when you’re online.
Scammers are “using curiosity, fear [and] urgency,” says Macdonald. To combat that, always listen to your intuition and be skeptical and rational, whether you’re responding to emails or scrolling social media. It helps to slow down. “We’re constantly in the buzz of this online ecosystem that can lower our defences and make us susceptible,” says Norrie. “So, in the moment, [you want] to have enough contextual awareness to go, ‘Hey, this is kind of weird.’” (Read about the top ten scams you may encounter online here.)
Create strong passwords
Another simple way to improve your protection online: use strong digital passwords to safeguard your personal data. Longer passwords that are more varied in an unpredictable way are harder to crack, says Norrie. But they’re also harder to remember.
This is where a password manager can be helpful. A password manager not only acts as a strong password generator but also makes it easier for you to keep track of unique passwords across multiple websites, from Facebook to online banking. “Do not use the same password everywhere,” advises Norrie. “Because if you use the same password that you think is complicated [across your accounts] and it’s hacked once, it’s hacked everywhere." There are free and paid password management tools — be sure to select a tool that is highly rated, such as 1Password, Roboform or Bitwarden. Macdonald advises that you create a “master password” to log into the password manager. Keep that password in a safe place and never use it anywhere else. “To create that master password, I always suggest using three random words strung together and intersperse the upper [case], the lower [case] and the special characters,” Macdonald says. She also suggests turning on two-factor or multi-factor authentication on every account you have, including social media, email and banking accounts.
“Another simple way to improve your protection online: use strong digital passwords to safeguard your personal data. Longer passwords that are more varied in an unpredictable way are harder to crack.”
Safeguard personal information
Sharing highlights of your life and relationships online is a great way to stay connected, but being mindful of what you post can help you maintain more digital privacy. By taking a thoughtful approach to your social media presence, you can help ensure that your personal details don’t inadvertently make you a target for unwanted attention or digital scams. “Be smart, because every piece of information that you put out there... [could] lower your defences,” says Norrie.
Review the security settings, including location sharing, on your social media accounts, and consider making some content available to friends and connections only. “Just because your data is shared in one place doesn’t mean it [will] stay there,” says Norrie.
Finally, save sensitive tasks such as banking for a trusted home connection — or, if you need to do internet banking away from home, use your secure, encrypted mobile data rather than public wifi to do so. “If you have to use free public wifi to check where a restaurant is or where you’re going on a map, that’s relatively safe,” says Macdonald. “But if you’re checking your bank account… your level of risk goes up dramatically.” To protect your personal data, be more selective about your network choice and online activities. Choosing the right network for the right task is a simple way to help stay secure. CAA
