Hardly a day goes by when most people don’t find themselves using the internet in either a personal or professional capacity. It has become such a crucial research tool, source of entertainment and communication that it is frankly difficult to imagine what day to day business would look like without it. That said, as the internet has become more popular, cyber crime and cyber criminals have become more adept at taking advantage of users. Internet surveillance, or spyware, is one particularly dangerous hack that can leave individuals the victims of theft, fraud or blackmail, and companies dealing with lost data, hacked infrastructure, and corporate espionage.
Here are the top ways you can keep yourself and your company safe by avoiding internet surveillance.
Keep All Anti-Virus Software Up To Date
The most common form of internet surveillance comes from the infection of a particular device with malware or spyware which digitally tracks your internet activity and reports back to the software’s owner. A computer infected with spyware can share personal information such as financial information, passwords, credit card and social security numbers with cyber criminals eager to steal your identity. By maintaining regularly updating an effective anti-virus software program, you are taking one of the most important steps possible to protect yourself and your computer from unauthorized internet surveillance.
Be Mindful of Your Network
If you regularly connect to public networks through café or other public wifi hot-spots, you should be particularly wary of your vulnerability to internet surveillance. Hackers will sometimes create fraudulent wifi hotspots in public locations then spy on users browsing activities, password entry, and financial information. If you are using a questionable public internet connection, be mindful of the websites you visit. If there is anything you wouldn’t want seen by others, save your internet shopping and online banking for a safer network.
Hide Your Browsing Data
Your browsing data defines you as an individual on the internet. Accessing the internet through a virtual private network (commonly known as a VPN) . A VPN acts as a barrier between what you see on the internet and what anyone watching you sees. A VPN inserts an intermediary server between you and the site you’re connecting to so that if you are being watched, all your surveillors will see is a connection from the VPN server to the site on the other end. Your connection to the VPN server is encrypted, completely concealing your identity.
Ad Blockers
One more common vulnerability on many computers are the files placed on your device by websites, also known as cookies. Ad blockers can help prevent ads from attaching cookies to your web browser and tracking your activities online. There is an ever increasing number of advertisements on the internet which have harmful intent. Ad blockers will prevent cookies, tracking and malware so you can be more secure in your browsing and internet usage.
For additional tips on how to improve your security online, connect with a records management professional at Happy Faces Records Management today.
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