Your name is a mirror of your identity. It is what you are known by, referred to. In today’s digital age, you have an online presence too, which means each person now has two identities, an offline identity, and an online identity.
Just the way there is a risk of impersonation in daily life, a similar threat exists online making it extremely necessary to protect your online identity. An identity attack or theft can lead to loss of personal information, account credentials, transactional details, impersonation, and huge losses.
If you are new to identity protection online or in general have any queries regarding the threats and how to be proactive by using an SSL certificate, you are at the right place, we’ve got you covered. Read along, and you won’t regret it!
Password
It goes without saying that each user needs to be very responsible when it comes to passwords. They are the most vulnerable entry to anyone’s account and can be easily exploited by a hacker to steal your identity. Make sure passwords are sufficiently long, are a combination of alphabets, numbers, and special characters and are not easy to guess.
Also, ensure that you use different passwords for different websites and use a password manager app in case you have difficulty in remembering various passwords. Also, do not ever trust anyone but yourself with your password.
Keep Track Of Hard Copies Of Documents
Make sure hard copies of your confidential information like bank account statements and credit card related documents are destroyed aptly so that they don’t land up with people who use the information to steal your online identity.
The best way is to use a shredder to shred pieces of paper. Keep personal identity documents like a birth certificate in a safe and secure place where they don’t get into the hands of people who may misuse it.
Be Wary Of Emails And Phone Calls
There are a lot of attacks that are launched using phishing of emails and tricking the customer or user into blurting out information that is meant to remain confidential. Any phone calls or messages which enquire about personal details and ask for things like bank details must be reported.
Do not believe any stories that the person on the other end may cook up to try to get information out of you. Be sure to never fall trap to clicking links present in the email. Many fraud emails are sent from email ids which resemble those of your bank or any other service company that you are subscribed to. When you enter your credentials in those links sends your information to the fraudulent company and is misused.
Physical Devices Are Like An Open Treasure
With mobile and portable devices increases the options that hackers must gain access to your information. A mobile user has multiple apps open on his/her phone with passwords saved and accounts logged in, all that is required is access to the phone.
So, it is essential to keep your phone, or any other such device locked and secure it using various available methods which include a pin or a pattern. Biometric methods like fingerprint and facial recognition are more secure and ensure that no other individual can unlock your device in your absence.
You can also invest in a mobile tracking service, google mail provides one, and some other companies also offer similar services. Make sure your computer and laptops have antivirus and other software security software installed with an active firewall. Also, ensure the computer has updated versions of this software so that hackers can’t take advantage of any uncovered loopholes in the software.
Network Security
Data can be stolen when it is on the move within the network between a browser and a server. There are many vulnerable situations for the data packet in the global network, and hence, it is a must to have an SSL in place to safeguard your information. Buy SSL certificate is a must consideration point for any website holder.
Many points to be looked upon while choosing an SSL certificate like price, support, authenticate the document, warranty, etc. If you want to satisfy all points discussed here, then SSL2BUY is the best place to invest in getting an SSL certificate for your website to secure your data. SSL2BUY ensures the best of certificate authorities and offers unparalleled customer services making it an excellent option to buy SSL certificates.
Be Aware Of The Websites You Visit
Secure and protected sites are a necessity in today’s time when cyberattacks are on the rise. Ensure you visit reputed websites to make purchases and other online transactions. In case the website you are about to visit doesn’t seem familiar, make sure to check for the security symbols to verify that the site is secure.
Check for https before the website name on the address bar. Also, check if the address bar is green (EV SSL) or if there is a lock symbol on the leftmost part of the address. The websites that use SSL will have one if not all these indications and make sure any information that you enter or provide is safe from cyber crooks.
Apart from these precautions, one of the more complex but more proactive approaches is to maintain separate online identities for different purposes on the internet. It is a significant precautionary step so that if you do experience an identity threat, the damage done to your data can be minimized and confined to a domain.
For example, you can have a different online identity for all personal tasks like grocery shopping and personal interactions using social media websites. Another integrity can be maintained to carry out official work that recognizes you as an employer or employee. Such activity will include official transactions or online presence official networking websites.
Online presence is indispensable, and for most of us, an online identity is a must. Therefore, we must handle the security of our online identity with caution and take all the required steps beforehand to prevent an identity attack on our personal data. The loss of which might or might not be recoverable. So, follow the above tips and be one step ahead of the cyber crooks!