Internet

How To Manage And Protect Your Online Presence

From personal home computers to business-grade supercomputers, there is no denying that technology, and the internet for that matter, have greatly improved human civilization. Additionally, protecting one’s online tracks and keeping one’s data privacy in check has never been more important. During the first quarter of 2021, there were more than 2935 publicly reported data breaches in the United States. As the pandemic progressed in the same year, it was estimated that the breaches have increased twice every quarter. The good news is, there are several ways to protect one’s online presence.

Most Dangerous Cyber Attacks

In 2016, several small accounting firms were victims of phishing scams, which led to a leak of important client data. As a result of the breach, these firms were required to drop these clients and pay millions in damages. Phishing scams involve emails with dangerous links designed to breach data from a computer, or access computer files. Another online attack occurred in 2020 where Facebook accounts were observed to have account copies spreading over the internet for some countries. According to Facebook, it was a system glitch, but experts have suggested that these are potential identity theft platforms plotted by some governments to implement internet censorship and make false claims on insurgency and terrorism.
Knowing about these threats has helped both civilians and businesses fend off cyberattacks. Medium to large-sized accounting firms have incorporated phishing scams in their handbooks and how to avoid them. They have also increased security to help point out accountability in case of a breach, Facebook has improved its privacy policies in response to inquisitions about the incident mentioned above. They have also implemented a consent system in every website to ask if users are willing to have their data stored in the website archive. In any case, knowing about potential threats to one’s access to the internet would help in creating measures to fight these types of attacks.

Online Protection Is A Must

A personal computer is usually reflective of its user. Data on the sites, online shops, applications used, and even social networking platforms that a person uses would be stored in a computer. If a stranger is given unwarranted access to these data, such information could be used for blackmail, identity theft, and other forms of fraudulent transactions. As a general rule, restricting access to one’s computer and internet data would be the best way to go. Investing in VPN systems would help in masking the IP of any computer. It would also help in customizing the security measures employed in a home internet box or system. Using stronger and unique passwords would also help in denying access to cyber attackers. Employing other methods like setting up trusted security applications, knowing about new cyberattacks, and steering away from dubious or suspicious links would help add another layer of protection to one’s online presence.

Secure Your Hardware

Apart from adopting measures to protect data online, using hardware-related solutions could also help protect one’s data privacy online. Installing cooling mechanisms to computers, routers, and other data devices would help in enabling all security features available to these devices. This would help add a layer of protection in terms of data hacks. Building on this, proper device care and cleaning would also help add a layer of protection because it will make security features and software more accessible to the system. Finally, restricting access to other people on general principle by keeping these in secure places would help in restricting access for anyone who touches it.
Threats to an online presence are now a growing social issue as society grows more attached to the internet and its components. In all of these scenarios, having the proper knowledge and applying these to one’s daily routine would be key to protection. The advancements in technology will always mean improvement for both the attacker and the victim. Getting one step ahead of attackers and knowing when to avoid certain facets of the internet would go a long way in protecting oneself. In a virtual setup where everything is exposed, privacy is a privilege that should be continuously earned by being cautious at all times.
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