We always hear experts say that in today’s advanced technology, it is NOT always enough for one to be cyber secured to just simply review your privacy settings every three months and create a strong password. Why? Because these cyber criminals do that too – they are wiser in being able to obtain data from people.
There are numerous ways a hacker can actually access your account, personal info, monitor your online activities and worst, pose to be you. In this time and cyber age, we have to be equally wise and vigilant, and really cautious in using our accounts. So, aside from being vigilant, here are few more tips on how to be secured while being active online.
- Never post any identification numbers and travel documents as we would not want to end up victims of identity theft.
- Do not give away home, school and office addresses that may cause security harm.
- Avoid sharing or posting eye-catching pictures of your properties and rich possessions.
- Do not divulge information to people you only met online.
- Refrain from sharing your exact location.
- Set your social media account posts (as much as possible) to either private or friends only.
- Deactivate the social media accounts you are not using.
- Protect your password resets. You can turn on the feature where you are required to enter a personal information to successfully reset the password.
- Do not underestimate how much your browser’s cache knows about you, clear it often.
- Lastly, add two-factor verification. This is available for you to set up in most online accounts now.
My cyber account in Instagram has been hacked recently. My account has been used to like and follow people I do not know. I was looking for a particular image I have liked in the past and that is when I found out about it – I saw likes that I can’t even recall to have made. I had to change my password immediately and turned on the two-factor verification feature.
What is a two-factor verification? How secure can my account be? When someone else tries to login to my Instagram account this time, a 6 digit code has to be required and correctly entered. Who else has the code but me only, because it will be sent to my mobile number. My Instagram profile being hacked somehow scared me and I also kind of felt angry and dismayed. I had to unlike a lot of images and videos – I’m not done yet actually, really upsetting.
I do hope that these simple tips would help you all. It is also best to refrain by being too excited in using and sharing. Take time to also explore and learn more about the applications we are using, most importantly, the Terms & Conditions of each app. Be safe and cyber secured every time, everyone!
