As well as exercising safe practices with Emails (see our Email Safety article), you should exercise caution and be aware of the risks of using the internet or visiting of un-secure websites to reduce the risks and effects of cyber-security incidents and thefts.
Adapted from our domain registration provider, Gandi.Net, here are some easy ways to improve your awareness and internet security.
Passwords
It is important that each website you have an account with has a unique, strong password. This password should ideally be a random mix of lowercases and uppercases letters; numbers and symbols – some website have their own policy and password recommendation when creating an account.
By using the same password for multiple accounts, should your email address and password become compromised, a hacker can then access other accounts that share this combination and steal personal information about you – unique passwords would limit a hackers ability to do this.
If you want to check if any of your email addresses have been compromised and made public, you can visit haveibeenpwned.com.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Two-Factor Authentication, also known as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), is a method to add an additional layer of security when logging into your account. This could be by requiring a randomly-generated code, biometric identification (e.g. thumbprint or facial recognition), or a physical key.
It is recommend to utilise this function if available for your online accounts. If you email address and password become compromised, without this additional code/authentication, a unauthorised individual will be unable to gain access to your account.
WierdCheesecake Website Design allow for customers to set-up 2FA on their account – we recommend you do this as soon as possible from the ‘Edit Profile’ page
Updates
Software developers regularly provide updates to their software to improve this product, but also to fix any security issues identified. Therefore, it is important to ensure that any software that you use on your device is regularly updated.
Applications that are not regularly updated can be potential security risks as hackers can exploit vulnerabilities found in the software to steal personal and confidential information, including email addresses and passwords.
HTTPS
HTTPS is a secure method of sending information over the internet, an updated version of http://. When browsing the internet, looking for the https:// in the website address shows that the data being shown to you has been encrypted and can not be intercepted – this is important on sites when you are inputting personal/confidential information or providing payment details.
For more information on the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, please read our article on ‘SSL Certificates‘.
Adapted from Gandi.Net, ‘Ten tips for improving your security online‘.
