Read on to find out the best ways to protect your data online in 2022.

7 Ways to Protect Yourself Online

With technology advancing as quickly as it is, ways to protect yourself online are getting stronger and much more efficient. However, this means that the tech used to hack your accounts is becoming just as advanced and efficient.

Passwords

The one mistake many people make is using the same password for everything. We use a password for everything now. Whether it be for our online banking, Netflix or Amazon, we have a username or email and password combination.

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So many of our accounts have a decent amount of personal information attached to them that a hacker can find out a lot about us just by getting into our Amazon account, for instance. It is essential to have different passwords for all your accounts and update and change them regularly.

Encryption

Encrypting your data is essentially scrambling it into random symbols that a data thief can’t read unless they have your encryption key. There are many encryption tools to choose from, each doing a similar job.

Encryption is perfect for last wills and testaments, identity documents, banking info, etc., that you want to or need to keep digital copies of.

Once you have encrypted your data, you must keep your encryption keys a secret and offline. Store them on a flash drive that you stick in your sock drawer or somewhere hidden; you don’t want anyone getting their hands on them.

Use an Antivirus

Antivirus software is one of the easiest ways to protect you and your data online. It is designed to protect you from viruses that can expose your data and make it easier to steal, and it will also flag unusual emails and activities that can be dangerous to your security.

You must remember to keep your antivirus updated regularly and keep your subscription current. The importance of regularly updating your system and programs will be explained next.

Always Run Updates

Updating your system and programs isn’t just for improving performance and giving you brand new features; bugs and potential weaknesses are also discovered and fixed. There have been many occasions when a simple bug in a program acts as an open door for hackers.

While doing these updates can be annoying and feel like you have to do them every day, they are essential if you want to add another layer of security to protect your data.

Ignore Spam Emails

Email scams can be far more complex and innocent-looking than you may think. Not all scams involve a prince that has to give you $10 million before they disappear forever. Some can be as simple as a questionnaire or survey.

You must also be aware that it isn’t difficult for a data thief to create a very legitimate-looking fake email that is apparently from your bank; no bank will ever ask for your account details over email. If the email looks suspicious, delete it immediately. If you aren’t sure, rather be safe than sorry.

Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is a hotspot for data thieves simply because of the lack of security. A restaurant or cafe isn’t going to spend money on all sorts of security programs for an internet connection that is used to send a few emails or make a video call.

This means that it is very easy to hack any device connected to this Wi-Fi connection. While inconvenient, it is much safer to simply not use these public connections, and if you have to use the internet on the go, use your smartphone’s hotspot or an internet dongle.

Save Personal Info Offline

One of the best ways to protect your data online is to store it offline. Saving wills, banking information, birth certificates, etc. online is more convenient, yes, but also requires more effort to protect and encrypt online.

If you need to save digital copies of important data and paperwork, save it on an external hard drive or a flash drive. Once again, this is such a simple but effective way of protecting data that many more people should adopt.