Today is Safer Internet Day!

[jennaqualls]

Today, February 7, 2023 is Safer Internet Day!

Over the years, Safer Internet Day has become a landmark event in the online safety calendar.

According to the https://www.saferinternetday.org/, "from cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns."

The LIVEcommunity has put together five tips to help you have a safer internet experience.

Make sure that the software you are using is up to date. 

I'm talking about the OS, browsers, and all the applications you might be using on your endhost. This is not limited to your desktop, of course! Since mobile shopping has become more popular, make sure your mobile devices have the latest patches and app versions installed. In doing so, you'll greatly reduce the risk of running into known vulnerabilities and getting infected by malware.

Don't use free public Wi-Fi for shopping!

Using MITM (Man in the Middle) methods, attackers might be listening in on your communication and intercept the traffic. It is best to use a trusted Wi-Fi connection like the one at your home. If you aren't at home, then I'd recommend that you turn your smartphone into a hotspot to connect your laptop to the internet.

Use credit cards with online transactions, not debit cards!

Debit cards aren’t covered by fraud insurance policies and provide direct access to the bank accounts they’re linked to. Credit card companies give insurance to buyers if the product isn’t delivered.

Be alert of the information being collected!

Make sure you are aware of the kind of information that's being collected when you make an online purchase. If you're being asked for personal data, like Social Security numbers or password information, then that's a definite red flag!

Always check whether the address is correct before entering your (login) details.

When you go to a website and enter (login) data, check beforehand whether the web address is correct. It is quite possible that you have entered the address incorrectly, which will lead you to a decoy site. These decoy sites are created by criminals with the sole intention of getting their hands on your (login) details.