10 ways to be more secure online

Every time you are online, your information and privacy are at risk. Hackers are trying to take over your email account, expose your credentials, steal your personal data, your home address and your Social Security number. They want to remotely enslave your computer, infect your smart devices and peek through your webcam.

In every crack in the web, they lay their cyber traps as they try to find back doors and vulnerabilities they can exploit, waiting for the opportune moment to leave.

Of course, there are many ways to protect yourself. But where do you start? Don’t worry, we are here to help. Here are 10 things you can do to be more secure online:

1. Secure your phone before lending it to anyone

There are times when a friend or your child may want to borrow your phone to check out an app or to quickly watch something online. With all the personal information we keep on our smartphones. It should come as no surprise that you are hesitant to hand over the gadget to you with ease.

But don’t worry, if sharing is necessary, there are ways you can share all your personal information without letting them get into your phone.

Android Guest Mode

Most up-to-date Android smartphones let you access the Guest Mode feature by dragging from top to bottom. Touch your user icon in the upper-right corner, then tap it again to access the “Users” screen. You should see your own profile with the option “Add Guest”. Click on it and the phone will switch to guest mode.

Guest Mode allows the user access to basic phone functions like the Chrome browser, but hides your contacts, Internet history, and personal data. You can switch back to your regular profile with the same method you used to turn on Guest Mode.

iOS Guided Access

On iOS, a very useful setting is Guided Access. This feature essentially locks your iPhone or iPad into a single app and will require a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID to exit. This is great when you want a friend to check a particular app on your gadget and nothing else.

To turn on Guided Access, open Settings >> General >> Accessibility, scroll down and tap on Guided Access. Turn it on and set up a passcode (or activate Touch ID or Face ID).

To start Guided Access to lock your iOS gadget to an app, simply three-tap the Home button (or the Side button on the iPhone X) while the app is open. To exit the app, three-tap the Home or Side button again.

Want more easy tips? Here are 5 digital tricks you’ll use again and again.

2. Control Permissions on Your Apps

Before installing apps, you should always check the permissions they’ll require on their Google Play or Apple App Store app pages. The Android phone will also give you a detailed description of the permission requests upon installation of the app. The iOS app will usually show you a permission access pop-up when you’re using a feature that requires specific access to your gadget.

Sometimes apps ask for more information than they actually need. That information can then be passed on to companies that may use it for advertising. Or it could just sit on their servers waiting for a data breach in the hands of hackers.

This is why it is good practice to regularly check your app permissions. Not only will this give you more privacy control and prevent apps from potentially spying on you and abusing your trust, it can also remove apps that are constantly running in the background, which, in turn, can drain your gadget’s battery. Can improve life.

Luckily, checking app permissions is not that hard. Here’s how you control the permissions of your apps on both Android and iOS.

3. Ensure the Security of All Your Accounts

Most major services and companies, such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, provide this extra layer of security when you log into your accounts.

This is called two-factor authentication (2FA). Don’t let this fancy name get you down. It simply means that to log into your account you need two methods to prove that you are who you say you are. It’s like a bank or DMV asking for two forms of ID. The idea is that a hacker would have a very hard time obtaining both forms of ID, and it is true.

You can set up 2FA to send you a special code via email or text instant alerts when your account is accessed from an unfamiliar device or location. Typically, this is because you are logging into your email account from an internet cafe in London, or you are checking your bank balance on the phone of a trusted friend.

Other times, it is a hacker trying to trace your credentials. You will receive a notification by email or text saying that you were logged in from an unfamiliar machine.

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