By Andreas Gkoumplias,
With technology evolving faster than ever in recent years and in every possible way, it only makes sense that everyone has their own mobile device and a connection to the internet, which enables them to complete everyday tasks with ease and without any worries. However, one aspect of the internet that many people either ignore completely or just do not pay enough attention to is their security when connecting to the World Wide Web, which makes them susceptible to falling victim to fraudulent activities. Today’s article is dedicated to offering some advice for everyone to stay safe during their online ‘’adventures’’.
Cybercrime is defined as the action of criminal activities performed by the means of a computer or the internet, with the purpose of generating profit for the cybercriminals. Some of the most common cybercrime examples include identity fraud, email and internet fraud, and cyber extortion, which is when cybercriminals demand money to prevent a threatened attack, phishing, etc. The important thing to understand here is that anyone can fall victim to a cybercrime, from a person that is not extremely familiar with utilizing an electronic device to a tech geek that spends large amounts of time on these.
It goes without saying that everyone needs to be extremely careful when surfing online, when chatting with strangers, or performing any action online that could compromise their security. The first thing that one should keep in mind when surfing the internet should be that trusting random people on the internet is like walking in a minefield without a bomb detector. Moreover, trusting people with your personal information is a big no-no, since it is very easy to leak sensitive information like addresses, phone numbers, etc. if the other person feels like it.
Keeping things as private as possible and keeping things to yourself is the best and safest way to ensure that there will not be any unpleasant surprises. Furthermore, one should avoid transactions that seem suspicious, as they may well result in them losing either money or compromising their personal information. Emails that request personal information like home address or credit card details, or contain unknown and potentially risky links to click, are also a red flag and the receiver should be handled very carefully.
Of course, cyber security is not all about just dealing with strangers and with fishy websites. Having security on your own mobile device or personal computer is just as vital, as it provides critical alerts about malware programs or viruses that may be installed on your computer. Luckily, modern computers come with preinstalled antiviruses, so nowadays it is a lot easier to be protected when surfing online. Another useful tip is having different passwords throughout different platforms. In that way, even if someone bypasses the security and obtains access to your account, with different passwords he will not have access to all of them. And of course, to add to that, there are apps that help you keep track of all your passwords, so if you generate different ones you will not forget them. Finally, keeping your antiviruses and passwords updated regularly should be added to the list as a preventive measure.
Last but not least, in case everything goes south and one is found in a cyber extortion situation, before proceeding with any action, they should definitely contact the police. There is no easy way to predict or prevent cyber extortion as much as the other methods, so the best bet and safest course of action are to come into contact with the authorities explaining the situation so they can hop into action.
To wrap it all up, the internet is one of the weirdest places to find yourself in and if you are not careful or paying attention, you easily find yourself in a lot of unpleasant situations. Everyone should always be extra careful and should always tread very carefully, especially with strangers, because you simply cannot know who you are dealing with.
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