Be safe on social media #cybersecurity

Today, we may not be physically meeting people but we are aware of their happenings. All thanks to social media platforms. Every detail is out to the world and we feel connected with our long lost friends and relatives. But every facility has a pro and con attached to it. Have you ever thought that the information you post is visible to the people you want and also to some people you don’t want? Yes and this is possible by hacking your account. With so much technology even in a small USB device, hacking is just a few clicks by expert hackers. How can you be safe on social media?

Tips to be safe online

There are some ways by which you can be cautious and alert of the content you are sharing with the world.

Unique passwords

Many of us don’t remember our account passwords. So we make easy passwords that we don’t forget. But you need to be alert that such easy passwords are easy to guess also. Instead, make a combination of special characters along with your numbers or words i.e. $susan or Susan#. This will add peculiarity to your password and is easy to remember. Try to change your password every quarter if possible.

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Say no to automatic logins

Often we become lazy and say ‘yes’ when the computer asks- save login details? But storing your credentials on your device is also prone to hacking. It is easy for app developers and other computer technicians to take out this information. Neither store your passwords on your smartphones. Remember you synchronize your phones with your email accounts? It eases your life and the work of hacker also.

Beware of attachments

Many times we don’t realise how many sites have we registered on. This way our login details are shared with numerous sites. We should always be alert while opening unknown attachments from suspicious senders. These emails may contain a virus or corrupted files that may delete your data or make a copy.

Be alert to what you share

You should be aware of what you are sharing on social media. When you put a ‘check in’ on a social platform, your readers assume that your home is empty or for that matter your shared photos tell the whole story. You should realise that each and every detail is not safe to share online. Restrict the information you share with the world. Non-interested people may also get a hold of it. Whenever we are out, we don’t put a board at our gate saying- we are out for a week, so why on social media?

Install an antivirus

Installing a good antivirus software protects your computer from hackers and online corrupted files. It also scans before every download from the internet. While browsing different sites also, the software prompts and blocks many pop-ups.

Log off

Remember to log off from the device whenever you are done. Your device may be private but the social media is not on which you were working. You don’t want to leave your credentials flying in the web.

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Search yourself

This is a very good idea. Delete your history from the chrome browser and then search for yourself. It will let you know how you are visible to the visitors. Now change the privacy settings if need be.

Revise the security settings

It is only a machine and anything can happen. So you should check your privacy settings on different social platforms. This could be done every quarter or bi-monthly. Sometime back, I randomly checked my Amazon profile and was shocked to find that my wishlist was public. I would never want to share what I buy or intend to buy with the world.

Watermark your photos

We all like to share our photos. The profile photo on Facebook is protected but not all are protected. The best way to protect them is to watermark them. Put up your logo or company name or simply your website name on your photos. It may be hectic to watermark every photo you share but there are many software available on the internet that watermark the whole folder like uMark.