Surfing the net is part of our day to day. Either for work, for leisure or for both, it is strange the day that we do not sit at a computer or use our mobile to do our searches or queries. But beyond the enormous functionality of the Internet, there is the dark part. Those corners of cyberspace where viruses, fraud, hackers and other Internet risks sneak in .
100% security is difficult, but it is not difficult to introduce a series of practices to avoid fraud in the network . As in so many cases, the best weapon is to be well informed about the most common deception techniques (in this case and without forgetting that the list is extensive and changing) and thus recognize at least what should put us on alert. Bypassing suspicious emails, unsafe executions, or strange applications can lead to real headaches.
We must mark the starting point of our security in the network in ourselves. It consists of something as simple (and at the same time as effective) as being careful with the pages we visit and the files we download.
- Beware of dubious links or hyperlinks in emails, in chats, on social networks … Where do they lead? Do we know the sender? Are they in a different language? Files attached to an email, for example, can be infected by a Trojan horse or malicious software. Therefore, avoid or verify the download of those files whose origin is not clear.
- Make sure you have a good antivirus and that the operating system is up to date : System and software updates prevent vulnerabilities and protect your personal identity or your business.
- Download applications from official sites : Sometimes hackers modify or impersonate popular versions of programs with malicious code. They even use Black Hat SEO techniques to fool Google and place their websites in the top positions. A way to easily catch yourself from the search engine. This is why it is important to always check the link location .
- Use encrypted websites: To find out if you browse one of them, check the beginning of the URL. Navigation is safe if it is headed by ‘Https’ and has a padlock .
- Beware of unknown contacts on social networks or chats. It is a way that attackers use to access profiles and, for example, impersonate you or use your data for other malicious purposes.
- Use strong passwords, of at least 8 characters and made up of uppercase, lowercase and numbers . Keep in mind that if it is simple for you, it will also be for a hacker who will not hesitate to access, for example, your Facebook profile to track the name of your dog, your partner or the day of your anniversary.
- Don’t trust suspicious forms with sensitive information . They can simulate belonging to a trusted entity for the sole purpose of getting your data.
- Avoid connecting through an unknown WIFI network. Yes, we’ve all done it – or do – but that doesn’t mean it’s safe or that we can do it lightly. If we do not know who is hiding behind, we can fall into cases of data theft or infection on our device. Check that the WIFI network is the official one of the place and use “private or incognito browsing ” so that the trace of the pages visited is eliminated. And, of course, be careful with making economic transactions from them. You can find real surprises later.
Even so, it is not always possible to avoid suffering cyber attacks. Even large companies have faced unthinkable cyber attacks. We saw it, for example, just a month ago, when the most serious cyberattack of the last decade was conceived, which left millions of users without access for hours to such popular websites as Twitter, Spotify, Amazon or Reddit