planning for a safer 2018 online

 

By Chief Editor and Blog Manager- Amanda-Jane Turner

It is believed that more than three billion people globally use the internet, making it a very large community. Like all large communities there may be a criminal element lurking to trap the unwary! For the internet think phishing, online dating scams, identity theft, malware and viruses.

One way to stay safer online is by keeping vigilant against current threats. The Australian Women in Security Network is proud to be a partner of the Australian Government initiative Stay Smart Online. This is a great website where internet safety and security tips can be delivered direct to your inbox once you sign up for the free alerts.

Some tips to staying safer online this year are below, this is not an exhaustive list and we welcome yo adding your own to these in the comments below the post.

• Careful what you click on - be alert for phishing, click bait, ‘too good to be true’ offers.
• Authentication - create strong passwords using different ones for different accounts. If an application offers multi factor authentication consider using it.
• Caution on what you share - With social engineering, identity theft and Business Email Compromise scams making use of personal information to increase efficacy, be careful what you put online about yourself or your family and friends.
• Update software - keep your applications and operating systems up to date, patching systems with security updates may help mitigate against zero day and other vulnerabilities as they are discovered.

Do you have more tips to how we can all stay safer while using the internet? Feel free to add these to the comments below the post.

 This post has been created by A Turner on behalf of AWSN. 

(c) AWSN 2017

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, organisation or association.