The Internet is a huge part of many people’s everyday lives. It’s fun, useful, and informative, but with hacks, scams, malware and more, the Internet can feel like a dangerous place these days.
The good news is that simple measures can make reduce your exposure to threats and protect your enjoyment online.
Here are some handy tips:
#1: Create Complex Passwords
If you simply reuse the same passwords, a hacker can use leaked data from one attack and login to your other accounts. Tools like password managers (where they store your passwords securely) and multi-factor authentication (where you have to verify your details) are useful.
#2: Think first, click second
Unfortunately there are a lot of scammers online. Their sole aim is to trick you into doing something or giving away private information. Always be wary of offers that sound too good to be true.
#3: Be a Selective Sharer
With the rise of social media, we’ve all become a lot more familiar with sharing our personal information online. Just be cautious what you share, particularly when it comes to your identity information. Sometimes you might share something that can potentially be used to impersonate you or help them guess your password or logins.
#4: Safe Shopping
When making a financial transaction online, always make sure the site’s address starts with “https”, instead of just “http”, and has a padlock icon next to the URL field. These two factors tell you the website is secure and uses encryption to hide your financial details.
#5: Keep up to date
With so much information to absorb, it can feel a little overwhelming at times. That’s why Wandsworth Lifelong Learning are running two free classes on Using the Internet and Sharing Information on Social Media on 29 August 2019:
Wandsworth Festival of Learning 2019
Using Social Media to share information
Learn how to get the most out of social media for your personal use and for work.
When: 29 August, 1.30-4.30pm
Where: Wandsworth City Learning Centre, SW12 8PP
IT Skills for Living
A fun, informal and uncomplicated introduction to computers and the Internet.
When: 29 August, 9.30am-12.30pm
Where: Wandsworth City Learning Centre, SW12 8PP
