Who is watching us on the Internet: find and neutralize

People use online tools in various fields - from office work to banking and medicine. This means that more information than ever is at risk of being stolen by cybercriminals who can steal your identity, use “extortion programs” to hold your information or empty your bank accounts.

Over the past decade, the United States has spent more than $ 100 billion to protect public computer networks from data hijackers. This is a “big problem,” President Donald Trump said at a recent meeting of the American Technology Council, which was created to modernize and protect against cyber attacks of obsolete technologies used by the government.

Cybersecurity is not just for governments. Here are five tips to help you protect yourself on the Internet:

1. Be Suspicious of Incoming Email

For the same reason, never open the application in the letters of people you do not know. You should also disable any settings in your email that automatically download applications.

2. Choose unique and complex passwords

Most experts recommend using a password manager such as LastPass, 1Password or Keeper. These programs create complex passwords for sites that you visit and make it easier to manage.

If you are not using a password manager, make sure your passwords contain both uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not use the same password on more than one site.

3. Protect personal information

Companies and government agencies never ask for a password, so do not send a password by e-mail and do not send it by phone. If you receive an email with a link to the login page, do not click on it; instead, go to this website in a browser and log in there.

If a company unexpectedly calls you and asks for personal information, do not do this! Hang up and contact the company, either by phone or via the website, to confirm that the request is really coming from this company.

4. Use the latest technology

Make sure your computers, phones, and tablets have the latest software version. In addition, when possible, use an extra level of security called “two-factor authentication”. This method goes beyond providing a password and username; it also requires the information that you and no one else will have. This is a great way to make sure that it is you who are trying to log in, and not someone posing as you.

5. Watch out for unusual activity.

If your bank account or credit card offers text alerts or email alerts, enable them. This way, even if your account is hacked, you will be alerted. If you cannot include text messages, be sure to regularly check your bank statements for purchases that you have not made.

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How to protect a child from identity theft

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