With billions of people connected through technology delivered through multiple devices, the likelihood of a data privacy security leak and cyber-attacks will not decrease but will continue to increase. Continue on to read more about data privacy and cybersecurity and reducing risk.
Technology has made our lives easier, but its convenience also impacts our privacy. How we choose to use technology to work or play and our consumption through online purchasing affects how our data is openly shared or compromised through cyber security attacks.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are relying on technology even more than before as remote work and social distancing increased device use and strained infrastructure security and protocols:
Cybercrime and COVID19: Risks and Responses, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Personal information is compromised through phone calls, emails, and other communication directed at you. This information requested often includes social security numbers, dates of birth, or address, and email information. Remember that financial institutions don’t call you and ask for this information; they request it when you call them to verify your identity. If you’re unsure, contact the financial institution to confirm their call.
Credit card providers, banks, and other financial companies already have alerts for suspicious logins or transactions on your accounts. In addition, send you alerts to notify you of suspicious activity. Contact your financial institutions to enable alerts if you don’t have these alerts. This is a big step in increasing data privacy and cybersecurity.
Lockdown your personal information by leaving your date of birth, address, location information, and social connections private. Also, restrict who has access to your social media profile by not making it public. Common security questions ask about pets, family members, where you grew up, and other information to verify your identity making these Q & A’s easy for cyber-criminals to use!
Each time you receive emails, click on the sender address before opening the email to see if it is a real source. Why check first? In other words, opening an email from a cyber-hacker can result in compromising your device. In addition, it may install a bot to watch for opportunities to take your passwords and more!
For all websites that require a password, use different passwords or a password manager that can generate different and unique passwords. Remember to create unique passwords or random phrases or contain a combination of letters, numbers, or symbols if you choose to make your passwords.
Public wi-fi in coffee shops and other public places is an accessible location to have your device compromised. In addition data privacy and cybersecurity and your personal or login information too. If you’re in a public place using wi-fi, check to see if the internet requires a password to connect to wi-fi or not. If not, be aware that you may be at risk. Another option is to use a VPN service that secures your connection when in public places using public wi-fi.
In addition, all smart devices have the option to enable two-factor authentication. Where you must answer questions, provide pins or passwords at least twice to gain access to use the device.
Remember that protecting yourself with these simple tips is critical to your data privacy and can help you reduce the risk of your personal information being compromised.
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