With cybersecurity, identity theft and personal safety being a concern for many, I wanted to take this time to provide some tips to help you stay safe online.

In our day to day lives, it can be easy to fall into the habit of being unaware of how we conduct ourselves while online similar to when we go to work, jog around the neighborhood, or relax on the couch while we watch our favorite movie. In my opinion, I believe it’s due to the fact that we take things for granted such as our safety and personal security. With that said, here are some tips to help you stay safe while online.

• Make sure that you have the proper malware, spyware and virus protection software installed on your devices.
• Install a virtual private network (VPN) on your devices as this will encrypt your personal data, mask your IP address, and allows you to sidestep website blocks. There are a variety of options out there but I personally prefer Brave VPN.
• Instead of utilizing GMail, Yahoo, Outlook and so on, sign up for Proton Mail as they are an encrypted email service that’s based in Switzerland, which means all of your “data is protected by strict Swiss privacy laws and Swiss neutrality.” According to their website, the encryption “protects against data breaches and ensures no one (not even Proton) can access your inbox. Only you can read your messages.”
• As opposed to utilizing search engines such as Google, Bing, etc, I recommend utilizing Brave as it’s a “fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile that offers an ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.” Since many of us are so used to using sites such as Google to search for information, it’s easier said than done but well worth the switch.
• When coming up with passwords, it’s preferred that they’re at least 24 characters with a mixture of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. To summarize Clint Emerson during his interview with Patrick Bet-David, these “24 character phrases should not refer to you in any way (ex: spouse’s name, birthday, anniversary, etc) nor should you use the same password for EVERYTHING. The reason that 24 characters is strongly recommended is because it can take a super computer upwards of 40 years to run all possible combinations. You should also treat your username like another password when creating it by making it something that’s not related to you in any way (ex: not using your email address). Furthermore, utilize the two-factor identification regardless of how annoying it is.” Click here to learn more and watch the full interview.

• Don’t set up autopay and/or save your credit card information online in case the company’s system were to get hacked. If you decide to continue with autopay, I recommend utilizing a reloadable card as opposed to your credit or debit card. This way, if Company XYZ where your card is on record with gets hacked, then the hacker will only have access to the amount (if it hasn’t been used) that’s on the card as opposed to draining your bank account, etc.
• Avoid unsafe websites and/or websites that you’re not familiar with. This also goes without saying, beware of scams! Don’t just click on random links as it could potentially install viruses. For example, if you receive a text or email from what appears to be your bank and it’s asking for potential sensitive information (ex: social security number) or wants you to click on a link, call the bank’s customer support instead to confirm that it’s actually from them.
• With the rise in social media, be careful of what photos, videos and/or information that you post online. As the saying goes, “once it’s on the internet, it’s out there forever.” The same is true if you send inappropriate or questionable photos, videos, or information via text as you don’t know what that other person’s intentions are. To further elaborate, when I first got into security contracting in 2019, the instructor told a story of an employee that took a photo of himself with an item that he was transporting and posted it on social media. The photo was shared so many times that it eventually reached someone that tracked the employee down and kidnapped the employee’s child for ransom. If I recall correctly, the child was safely recovered but this stresses the point of being careful of what you post.

Whether you own a business, have a family or simply want to learn how stay safe online, I hope you have found this information to be useful. If you have any tips that weren’t mentioned, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.