5 things you can do to help protect yourself from cybercrime | Page 2 | Sunday Observer

5 things you can do to help protect yourself from cybercrime

1 March, 2020

What is cybercrime? The term cybercrime refers to crimes committed online, for example, stealing personal information or hacking.

It’s a sad reality that there are cyber criminals waiting online to take advantage, but there are things we can do to help protect ourselves. Here are five top tips:

1. Protect your devices and computer

Protect your devices and computer It’s important to complete software and app updates as they contain vital security updates to protect your device and computer. And remember to keep your antivirus software up-to-date and be cautious with the software you download.

You should also secure your devices, computer and email account with a strong password made up of a combination of numbers, symbols and upper and lower case letters to make it more difficult for fraudsters and never disclose your password to anyone.

2. Ignore unsolicited emails

Ignore unsolicited emails If you’re not expecting an email or don’t recognise the sender then be cautious and don’t click on any links or open any attachments in the email. Doing so could allow criminals access to your information or infect your device with a virus.

3. Be Wi-Fi wary

Be cautious about the information you share or receive (unless you’re using a secure web page) when using free public Wi-Fi, when you’re in a coffee shop or on a bus or train, for example.

4. Be social media savvy

With 2.07 billion people around the world actively using Facebook each month social networking is a global revolution and a great way to share with friends. But we should be careful about who we connect with and be sure to never disclose private information.

5. Shop safely

Shop safely When shopping online make sure the website you’re on is reputable and secure. Before entering card details online, look out for a closed padlock in the address bar and check that the web address starts with ‘https’ (‘s’ is for secure).

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