Nowadays, we wake up every day to new technologies and advancements. While these innovations have undoubtedly made several aspects of life much easier and way more interesting, most of them put our privacy at great risk. Whether someone is threatening to release your personal data or is sending you hateful comments or messages online, you may feel incredibly unsafe. In this day and age, protecting your data online is one of the most important things that you need to do. Read through this article to find out why.
Personal Data Theft
Data theft rates are on the rise now more than ever before. This phenomenon is triggered by the increased number of accessible online marketplaces and the convenience of online shopping. Unfortunately, the more people shop through social media accounts, websites, and other online sellers, the more data theft cases are reported. You may be surprised to know that even at the introductory stages of online shopping, the frequency of data theft occurrences experienced a rapid increase. From the years 2005 to 2010 only, online cases of credit card theft jumped by 50%. While this is devastating for shoppers who had their credit card information stolen, it is also incredibly troublesome for the liable financial institutions. The reason is that for every stolen credit card information, the company may lose around 150 to 200 U.S. dollars.
Endless Factors
Protecting yourself online is easier said than done. This is because of the countless schemes and traps in place designed to trick you into giving your personal or confidential information. Hackers, scammers, and online thieves can show up even when it’s least expected, making it harder to stay on the lookout. Many people fall victim to phishing emails that are created in a way to make them look like they came from a credible financial source. These emails typically include links in which users are urged to provide personal information, not knowing that it comes from a fraudulent source, putting their identity in grave danger.
Another thing that can invite identity thieves to invade your privacy is by using weak passwords. With the endless accounts that everyone has on social media and other online platforms, it can be almost impossible to keep up with several passwords, and this is why many people resort to using simple, or rather “weak” passwords. Though, when you have important personal information, such as a social security number, your phone number, address, or even your birthday, you should avoid using an easy password. Make sure that your security key contains lower and upper case letters, symbols, and numbers. If available, always activate the two-factor authentication on all the websites and social media platforms. Enabling this on your accounts requires any attempt to log into your account to enter a passcode, as well as a certain code or PIN that’s either sent to you through text or email.
Malware, or malicious software, is also a leading cause of data theft. The problem is that the internet is loaded with links that automatically download malware to your computer. One unintentional click can compromise all your personnel files and documents. To prevent this from happening, you need to make sure you have an AV for Windows installed on your computer. Unsecured websites can also put your information in danger. As mentioned earlier, there are many schemes taking place nowadays and one way to check that the website is secure is by making sure that it begins with “https://”, and not “http://”.
Large-Scale Data Theft
Every time you subscribe to a service or purchase something online, the seller records your information for future reference. Major corporations are subject to security breaches all the time too, which still puts your identity, data, and information at risk. Around 3 years ago, about 1,300 varying breaches affected large-scale corporations. Compared to 2005, when there were only 200 major breaches, you can see a scary increase in the numbers. This is because hackers and identity thieves are getting better and are discovering more ways to access the records of large corporations, enabling them to acquire endless credit card information and account numbers. However, this doesn’t only affect you as a customer, but it is also problematic for you as a business owner or a corporate employee. When a corporation or a business falls victim to an online breach, they are liable for the safety and well-being of their customers and employees.
Every time we use our smartphones or laptops to browse through social media or the countless available websites, the chances are that our information is being sold to third-party corporations. Not only that, but thousands of people, if not millions, are subject to cyberbullying every day. The internet can make us feel incredibly unsafe, which is why you need to protect your data at all times.
