The internet: all fun and games and virtual reality porn and ignored Candy Crush requests, until someone steals your identity.

The rise of social media means people are making more personal information public than they ever have before. Even if you think you’re only sharing funny memes and artful wardrobe flatlays, more serious details can easily be unearthed by a devious digital scammer.

Hacks of major companies like Yahoo make it clear that privacy should be prioritised, whether you’re a digital native or still trying to figure out what a/s/l means. There’s no time like the present. October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, so let’s brush up on some of the most important ways to protect your online identity.

Limit Your Exposure

The best way to keep your private information private is to… keep it private. Imagine what you’d tell a kid who is just starting to find his way online. Don’t put your phone number, address, or birthday on any social media profile. Don’t mention where you work or go to school. Don’t accept friends or followers you don’t know in real life. Don’t announce that you’re backpacking through Peru for a month, so your apartment is empty and waiting to be raided. Even posts you “like” can offer clues to your location or identity. Be selective in what you share, and whenever possible, lock down your privacy settings so your info is not publicly available.

Strengthen Your Passwords

The importance of creating strong passwords is hardly new advice, but it remains essential and too often ignored. The ideal password goes beyond a few letters and numbers (because you are using both letters and numbers, right?). Throw in symbols. Use uppercase in random spots. Deliberately misspell words. Swap numbers for letters. The best passwords are random strings of characters and never used twice. If that’s too difficult to remember, use a password manager like LastPass to keep track of your login information.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Wherever possible, use two-factor authentication. Hackers and their computer algorithms become better at uncovering passwords all the time, so the more layers of security you can add, the better. Two-factor authentication requires you to enter not only your password, but also a second form of ID verification (like a randomly generated pin number texted to your phone) in order to access your profile. It will feel tedious, but the extra hurdle makes it much harder to be hacked.

Set Up Login Notifications

Some services provide this automatically, others require it to be enabled. Always set up login notifications if they are available. You will receive an email or a text message any time an unrecognised IP address attempts to log into your account. Think of it as the internet version of your bank’s fraud detection programme. You may not be able to prevent a breach with login notifications, but knowing quickly can help you minimise the damage.

Trick The Security Questions

Honesty goes out the window when it comes to security questions. Treat them like your passwords – deliberately misspell, replace letters with numbers, mash phrases together to form a single word. You can also give the wrong answer entirely, as long as your memory is good. From now on, your mother’s maiden name is “ZiggyStardust.”

Stick With HTTPS

One letter could mean the difference between staying safe and being hacked. Check for the S in ‘https://’ – it stands for “secure.” A suite of the most vital online services (Google, Facebook) only allow you to connect via an HTTPS connection, meaning any data exchanged between you and the service is encrypted. Do not share sensitive information or make online payments without that S. Pro tip: public wi-fi hotspots often lack it.

Monitor Your Bank Account

Conduct regular checkups of your bank account, credit card statements, and credit report. You’ll want to know as soon as possible if any unfamiliar transactions have been made, or if accounts have been opened under you.
https://bluetechview..com.ng/2016/10/things-to-know-about-protecting-online.html?showComment=1476539676213&m=1
Cc: Mynd44, Seun, Lalasticlala

See also;
http://bluetechview..com.ng/2016/10/how-to-password-protect-and-encrypt.html?m=1

People can only do these and more diligently as regards Cyber-security but it's no news that the internet, no matter how much we do try to deny it, is still an open book.

My Lil bro and I once played a fast-one on Google of all search engines not too long ago. We got a file that, normally, Google servers won't provide access to.

The internet is a huge space with many "doors and windows".

Look, the internet, the world wide-web, and more is all a risk no matter how much precaution one takes. You can only hope that no hacker or bug crosses your cyber-path.