Online data – What can we do to protect it?

Since digital devices have slowly but steadily replaced radios, notebooks, books, photo albums, and even credit cards, keeping all of this information safe has never been a bigger priority.

As the world of technology made it easier for us to keep in touch with people, learn the latest information from all around the world and much more, it also made us more liable to threats.

Such threats are increasing by the hour, with hackers constantly trying to get a hold of our personal data. The introduction of social media has further put our personal information under risk, as these platforms are often the targets of numerous cyber attacks.

As a matter of fact, more than six million LinkedIn passwords were stolen back in 2012. This just shows that, if not properly secured, our online data would be an easy target for those who seek to steal it. Plus, 95% of data breaches are attributed to ‘human mistakes’.

That said, instead of feeling beaten and defenseless, we need to be cautious and make sure that our information online stays safe.

Strong Passwords

One of the things that we can all do easily is to pay attention to the complexity of our passwords. Despite the fact that it might be easier to create a simple password that relates to our family and loved ones, these sort of passwords are easiest to crack.

The reason behind this might be the fact that our hacker can often be someone we know. This way, we’re making it easier for them to access and steal our data. Therefore, the best alternative would be to create passwords that include different special characters, numbers, and letters.

Backup Your Data

Another threat we face daily is losing our online data, either by getting hacked or by breaking them. If we’re to ensure that our prized memories stay safe, we need to always backup our data.

This should be performed as regularly as possible, even daily if we can. It can be done by using external hard drives, USB devices, cloud services, etc.

Social Media

Our many social media platforms present yet another gateway for the information to get stolen. In this day and age, no social media network is immune to attacks, with all of them constantly being targets of cyber criminals.

These attacks can sometimes pose a threat to thousands and even millions of people. For example, in 2013, 65 million people had their information compromised on Tumblr.

In any case, since it’s almost impossible to live without at least one of these platforms, being careful what passwords we use, always logging out, and taking a further step to authenticate our accounts should always be on the back of our mind.

Bottom Line

It’s undeniable that the internet has made our lives easier. It has given us unlimited access to extensive knowledge and information, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. But this comfort comes with a price, and if we’re not careful, we’ll be the ones paying it.