These cyber security tips are of utmost importance now. With the approaching festive season, many online scammers and con artists are looking for victims. It is especially easier to catch prey during this time of the year. Why? This is because many are looking for discount sales, promotion deals, and purchases in general.

Before giving out the tips, it is wise to remember that anything online that seems ‘too good to be true’ is most likely a scam. Don’t be the victim, check these tips below.

Always be wary

Don’t be overconfident because fraudsters are not picky with targets. If there is little money to be gained, be sure that they will target you. Even people with computing expertise can be victims, so don’t disregard cyber security tips like these.

Avoid clicking indiscriminately

This is important because it is one of the most successful means of hacking. Dangerous links pose the most dangers to your computer and mobile devices. So, when you come across a link, even if it interests you, inspect the direction it is taking you to. If it is an untrusted webpage, just search for the content you are looking for on Google to see other legit websites that contain it.

Be careful who uses your device or whose you use

This is a two-way street. First, ensure that you are not always ‘lending’ out your device. Sometimes, you may not recall that you had screenshot an important account detail and anyone accessing your phone might come across it. Even on your computer, you may have left sensitive information open.

On the other side of this warning is; not using other people’s devices for logins. It may be urgent but don’t do it unless you trust the person. Some devices are programmable to give all information on what they were used for. So, don’t use devices indiscriminately. Flash drives and other hardware you connect to also fall under this category. They can sabotage cyber security.

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Cautiously use public networks

It may be thrilling that a particular network is open and you want to use it. Be careful when doing this because it may open your device to hackers who operate public networks. What you access on this kind of network is open to people monitoring it and may cause leakage of private data.

Secure your Passwords

In many cases of hacking, the hacker simply uses the victim’s password to access their data. It is not complicated in most instances. The leak may have occurred because you wrote down your password in a piece of paper that you later forgot about or you typed it while someone else was watching you. So, be suspicious of people lingering around you all the time.

Also, it is advised that you use complicated long passwords. Then regularly change as often as every three to six months.

Check out latest updates

Update notifications can be very annoying, but it is not useless. Software programmers do not rest after they have sold their products. They keep looking for ways it can be exploited and once they find one or are informed about one, they counter it. The result is them releasing updated versions to improve security. It may be stressful but always go through the new update messages. They are for your own good and improves cybersecurity.

Be careful of your social media activities

Information that you provide online might be the backdoor that cyber-criminals will use. So, be careful about what you are posting. Don’t send passwords or other sensitive data via chats. Be careful of who you engage online as well.

Back up your data elsewhere

It is important to have your data saved somewhere else, it could be on cloud or physical storage or both. Sometimes, hackers may just ruin the data you have online and you may lose important ones. Other times, the only way to solve a security breach may be to wipe your computer clean. So, it is never too much to back up data regularly.

The aim is not to raise paranoia levels but to keep your heads up. Stay safe with these cyber security tips and employ further safety precautions as well.

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