9 Potential Ways to Strengthen Online Security & Privacy

Data breaches have become more popular than ever, and hardly a week goes by without hearing any related news. Cybersecurity is not a new subject, and every user must ensure to have the best practices in place. Following several security tips will safeguard your digital devices and data from online threats.
Making your devices and online activities secure doesn’t demand much time or effort. A little consideration can prevent your device and data from unauthorized access. So, let’s learn these tips and try to incorporate them into real life.
Update Your Devices
Keeping your digital devices up-to-date will prevent you from many online threats. Don’t leave your devices vulnerable to online attacks. Update your operating system as soon as the new version arrives, and you get a notification for the same. You can also tweak system settings to install automatic updates.
Other than the operating system, don’t forget to install app updates promptly. The latest versions include security patches that prevent your computer from cyberattacks.
Delete Incognito History
While incognito mode can prevent you from prying eyes, it doesn’t ensure complete protection. Your online activity can be accessed from the DNS (Domain Name System) queries. DNS records the IP address along with their hostnames. Your computer, smartphone, and tablet record the communication between the DNS server and the browsers.
By flushing DNS entries, you can delete incognito history, and no one can check the websites you have visited. Visit https://setapp.com/how-to/delete-incognito-history for more information.
Install Antivirus App
If you think that an antivirus app will only protect you from a computer virus, you need to read this section thoroughly. You must have heard about ransomware that encrypts your files and asks for huge payments to restore them. The trojan horse appears like any other program but steals your confidential information. What about bots?
Having an antivirus means protecting your computer from all these threats, which is a great relief. So, if you want to keep viruses, malware, and bots at bay, install an antivirus app.
Create Strong Passwords
When assigning passwords to your accounts, make sure to be extra cautious and play around with the keyboard. The password you create must be more than eight characters long and must be a combination of alphabets, numbers, and special signs (such as @, $, *, &, or #). Do not keep the same password for all your online accounts.
Remembering passwords is a difficult task, so you can use a password manager. Make sure to download a password manager app from a legitimate website only.
Use Unique Passwords
Assigning strong passwords to your accounts is important, but using a unique passcode for each account is equally imperative. Hackers can steal a batch of username and password credentials and use them elsewhere, such as banking websites or eCommerce stores, to get access to more information.
Though it sounds difficult, keeping unique passwords for different categories of services such as email accounts, banking websites, online stores, and so on.
Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication seems annoying at first, but it strengthens your account’s security manifold. To be able to log into your account with two-factor authentication, you need to provide a password and then the OTP (one-time-password) that you receive on your registered contact number.
You cannot access your account without entering either of the two authentication methods. It provides an additional layer of security as you get OTP only on the registered phone number.
Get a VPN to Access the Internet
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your IP address so that no one can track your online activity. It encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a different server that is owned by the VPN provider. Connect to the internet via a VPN when you are accessing public WiFi, such as at the airport or local coffee shop.
Using a VPN secures your browsing history and information, but you have to be extra careful while clicking links, visiting websites, or establishing remote connections.
Strengthen Social Media Privacy
Social media websites make your information public, and devices are vulnerable to hacking attempts. You have to be intelligent when browsing social media platforms or posting anything. Be wise when commenting on a post or sharing it further on your feed. Keep in mind that once you post, comment, or share something, you may not delete it permanently.
The details of your location and the device you are using remain on the web, and hackers can use this information to steal your confidential data.
Respect Browser Warnings
Pay attention to your browser’s security warnings to stay secure and protected from outside threats. Users often overlook browser warnings and alerts, which makes their computers quite vulnerable to hacking attacks. Modern browsers such as Google, Safari, Firefox, and others show you warnings when you attempt to open a risky URL.
Do not ignore these warnings or alerts, and close your browser tab immediately. Your antivirus app also prevents you from visiting such websites.