Digital hygiene is a modern concept that combines within its framework the unwritten rules of online behavior. From childhood, everyone is taught to wash their hands before eating – apparently, it’s time to explain from an early age that you can not upload too much personal data on the Internet and use too simple passwords. Otherwise, you can suffer both financially and mentally or physically. There is no set code of digital hygiene approved by any authoritative body, but some of them seem to be the most important.
Do not immediately talk about your movements
One of the most potentially dangerous among the tools of modern networks is “stories” (Instagram Stories and the like). They talk about what is happening to a person at a particular moment in time: what he is doing, where he is. Detractors can very much use this information for their own purposes. He himself was a witness to the situation associated with the “stories”. A couple of years ago we went on vacation with a group of friends. One of the participants in this action actively laid out in history the process of collecting things for a long-awaited trip, including the departure itself. As a result, when we drove to a distance of 600-800 kilometers, her apartment was safely opened and all valuable things were taken out of it. The travel budget for her has increased many times over.
No need to upload too much personal information to the Internet
In the era of a wide variety of social networks, all kinds of personal data inevitably get on the Internet. This applies not only to pictures and other visual materials, but also to contact information. There are too many ways that detractors can use it for personal purposes, and none of them will definitely please the owner. For example, he accidentally leaked a screenshot with a photo and a real phone number of a girl who eventually became my wife to the network. A few years later, they began to write to her on Viber with offers of dubious content. It turns out that the information ended up on the 18+ offer website, and in the end it was very difficult to remove it from there.
It is important to use strong passwords and change them regularly
Today, most decent Internet resources will not allow you to use a simple password. However, it is important to understand that for reliable protection it is important to use a sequence of non-repeating letters in different case, as well as numbers and, if possible, special characters. Moreover, it is important to pay attention to the messages of password storage tools. Today, their creators actively monitor the authentication data that leaks into the network. In order not to lose important personal information, it is advisable to change such passwords regularly.
Important data should be backed up
Today it is quite difficult to choose a specific way to store important data. Popular cloud storages, it seems, have not yet lost anyone’s important information. However, it is also impossible to rely on them 100%. Moreover, primitive storage media are also not always durable enough for photographs of the first steps of a child or other content that cannot be repeated. Therefore, it is best to back up important information in at least two different ways.
- To the point: Store photos on your hard drive? In vain! How long do modern carriers serve.
It is recommended to enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication is an additional layer of protection for any online account. For example, in Telegram, it uses an auxiliary cloud password, without which it will not be possible to connect to an account even if you get access to a device on which you have already logged in. Two-factor authentication greatly complicates the hacking of any account, so it must be used without fail.
It is important to keep your software up to date.
It is important to understand that updates to the software you use are needed not only to keep its feature set up to date. Much more important are the security gaps that they must close. Whether it’s operating systems or browsers, it’s vital that you update it regularly to avoid the potential leak of important personal information. It is interesting that vendors release security updates even for software whose time has already passed. This, for example, applies to older versions of Windows or iOS.
Avoid Pirated Apps
It is not worth installing pirated software not only for moral reasons. The fact is that in order to crack the registration data, the software is usually modified – changes are made to it, which cannot be fully tracked with all the desire. Detractors may well introduce potentially dangerous components into hacked applications, which, for example, can steal user data. The consequences may be more expensive than licensed software. Therefore, another rule of digital hygiene is that it is better not to take risks with hacked software.
Do not enter card data on dubious sites
Do not include any confidential financial information on the pages of unverified stores. It will be very difficult to predict its future fate. Moreover, you can not transfer any data related to money through unverified open Wi-Fi networks. Their owners may well intercept them and use them for their own purposes. In this case, it is best to protect yourself with a paid VPN, which will pass all information through encrypted protocols.
- To the point: Free VPN – 7 reasons why you shouldn’t use it
It is important to regularly unsubscribe from useless feeds
The rules of digital hygiene also apply to the consumption of useless information. Therefore, it is also worth recommending that you regularly unsubscribe from any unnecessary information that only takes time. This also applies to social network accounts, and news channels in instant messengers, and information sites in RSS. In all these cases, it is best to leave only really useful sources that lead to multifaceted development, and not degradation and a senseless waste of time.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
