Digital Safety

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In the contemporary world where so much happens on the internet, online security is of critical importance. With ever greater cyber security risks, it's vital to not only protect personal data, but also evade frauds and guarantee cyber protection during activities done on the internet. In this chapter, you will learn the fundamental steps to defend your identity in cyberspace, detect pretentious emails, and browse the web without anyone prying into your private life.

YOUR IDENTITY ONLINE

In modern civilization, taking care of your digital identity is one of the top priorities and such identities could range from a person's name, image, to employment history. It includes everything a person has created online or social media.

Always enable 2FA on sites that support it.
Try to refrain from publicly exposing pages or sharing easily searchable personal details.
Change your passwords fairly often to reduce exposing chances.
With utmost care, try to avoid using mobile networks without a reliable paid VPN.

AVOIDING SCAMS

Online scams exist as deceptive tricks used for stealing money and personal information. They usually come in the shape of false promotions, online vendors, or messages stating you have won a prize. Scammers will use urgency and also emotional manipulation to pressure some victims into the acting quickly without proper thinking. Being alert can help you avoid falling for these traps. Skeptical thinking as well will also help you.

Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true, especially from unknown sellers.
Don’t send money or give personal info to people or websites you don’t fully trust.
Double-check messages claiming you’ve won something — legitimate prizes don’t ask for payment.

Report suspicious pages or sellers to platforms or authorities.

PHISHING ATTACKS

Represent efforts for fooling you to give private info such as passwords and bank details via acting as one reliable firm, like your bank and any known firm. These attacks can come in email or from text. They also come from many fake websites that look real. Knowing exactly how to spot one phishing attempt is key for safety.

Check the sender’s email address carefully — phishers often use slight misspellings.
Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown or unexpected messages.
Look for poor grammar or urgent language — it's a common sign of phishing.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to secure your accounts even if your password gets stolen.

SAFE BROWSING

Guarantees that your internet activities remain confidential and personal. Following effective measures can help to shield you from torrents of cyber threats.

Never set the same password for different online accounts. Instead, use different strong passwords for each account.
Have two-step authentication (2FA) put in place which requires more than one password.
Always look for “https://” coupled with the padlock symbol before giving out sensitive information on a website.
Make it a point not to click on suspicious links and don’t respond to phishing email threads filled with malware.

BASICS OF DATA PRIVACY

Exercising caution when dealing with personal data is of utmost importance. Data privacy involves being careful about the type of information one shares and how the information is stored.

Always limit the extent of sensitive information that can be found about you on the internet. One way to achieve this is by avoiding social media.
Use encrypted ways of connection such as asking for “https://” and ensure that no public Wi-Fi is connected while performing sensitive tasks.
Modify the settings dealing with privacy on your social media pages and applications for them regularly.
Make it a point to use or apply tools like ad blockers or secure browsers to avoid being tracked on the internet as they are designed to offer privacy.