Common sense is just as important to keep yourself secure while online. You can use all the latest and greatest security measures, while online, but if you don’t use good old common sense you can still fall victim to a scam, hack, stolen identity, etc. Common sense is the forgotten security measure and can go along way to keeping your identity, information, and devices safe.
Phishing
Phishing used to be done with a rod, reel, and some bait, now it is done with an email. The idea behind phishing is to trick the recipient into believing the email is real. They are looking for your information, They come in many forms, you have won money, you have to confirm some sort of personal account information, they may have an attachment they want you to open, there is a sense of urgency that if you don’t do what it says something dire will happen, your account will be closed down, the police will arrest you, etc.
Here are some ways to identify a possible phishing email, these emails are almost every time very poorly written, if it were legitimate wouldn’t all the spelling, grammatical errors are fixed with spell check ??
They are asking to confirm personal information, these emails look authentic and can be very convincing, call your bank, credit card company, etc. to verify before providing any information.
These emails may contain malicious links or attachments, so never click on or open, it could lead to a Trojan, virus or malware installed on your computer.
Encryption
Encryption is a great tool, most devices have built-in security, such as Secure Folder, Encrypt Sd Card. My Samsung phone has both in the settings in Biometrics and Security, this is a great place to store and protect sensitive information.
Locking your screen, and the use of unique passwords.
Limit Sharing
Sharing too much information is always a bad thing and we seem to do it without thinking on social media, tons of information is shared with the public on our social media sites which can be useful to a cyber thief.
In The End
So along with everything else we do to protect ourselves online, don’t forget good old common sense. We all have that gut feeling something ain’t right, and we have to use our instincts.
When in doubt, throw it out, links in emails, tweets, posts, online advertisements are how cybercriminals try to steal, access, compromise your information. If it looks suspicious, no matter the source, delete it.
Think before we act, if something sounds too good to be true, or if asking for personal information. Stop and think about it.
Last but not least, common sense!!!!
I hope you enjoyed and found this post informative and if you have any questions regarding VPN’s please leave me a comment, and I will get back to you soon, Thank you
Take care
Stay secure and always practice
Safe Text !!!
Butch