How to stay safe online

January 18, 2020

The  internet  today  has  become  the  integral  part  of our  daily  life.  It  has  transformed  the  way  we communicate, make friends, share updates,  and play games, shop and even conduct personal and business transactions. One truly cannot imagine life today without internet. This is not just true for metropolitan cities like Mumbai, but even small towns and villages.

The internet connects us virtually with millions of online users across the globe. With increasing use of the internet, cybercrimes such as email spoofing and phishing, ransomware, social engineering and cybercrimes  especially  against  women  and  children  such  as  cyber  stalking,  cyber  bullying,  cyber harassment, child pornography, rape content, etc. are also increasing rapidly. Today there is also a problem  of  fake  news  flooding  the  internet,  such  news  which  is  often  edited  to  incite  aggressive reactions from its viewers has led to real-life violence and loss of life.

To stay safe in the online world, it is important to follow some cyber safe practices which may help in making our online experience and productive.

How to protect yourself online:

Websites, Social media and messaging platforms

• Don’t accept friend requests from unknown people on social media platforms. As a rule of thumb, only add people online whom you know offline.
• Do not let your kids be part of any chat group where you do not know the Administrator or the purpose of the group seems shady.
• Don’t share personal information like date of birth, address, phone number on social media and other platforms. If you have done so, please check your privacy settings on social media platforms  to  select  who  can  access  your  posts  and  information  online,  especially  on matrimonial  websites  and  job  websites.  Try  to  restrict  access  to  your  friends  and  trusted people only. These settings can also be applied to “stories” which you post online.
• Remember, what you post online remains there, so it is important to be careful and not share your personal details in comments and posts on social media platforms and chats.
• Never save your passwords and other information such as addresses and phone number in the browser, always uncheck or deselect the option to save such information and disable auto fill option in browser.
• Never share your password with anyone. Stronger the password more secure is your data!
  Make the passwords stronger by combining letters, numbers and special characters. Always prefer separate ID/password combinations for different accounts. Change your passwords periodically.
• Be cautious when your chat partner compliments you especially on your appearance in just a short span of time.
• Avoid talking to people who ask you questions related to your physical or sexual experiences.
• Talk to your parents and friends if your chat partner suggests to keep your conversations a secret.
• Do not go to meet a person whom you met online alone. Always take a friend or an elder person with you.
• If you feel hurt or aggressive after reading a post, message or comment directed at you, do not respond back aggressively. Inform your family members or friends who may help you to identify the person who wrote the post or comment. You also have an option to block the person online.
• You should save the messages and posts in case you need to file a complaint and take legal action against the person.
• Never install software and games from unknown sources or pirate sites. This may lead to malware infecting your computer and smartphone devices.

Online gaming

• Beware of risky free online games that can secretly download malicious software & gain control over your devices. Always read reviews of games before downloading to know about any potential security threat. Make it a habit to download games from a trustworthy source.
• Again, don’t accept friend requests from unknown people on social media platforms and don’t share your personal information. Use a nickname or an alias name to log-in to online games or chat room.
• Avoid using voice chat or web-cam with strangers while playing games online.
• If someone bullies you or threatens you online, you have an option to block that person.
• Be careful when using debit / credit card / net banking to purchase points, skins, or weapons for your player avatar / character. Your financial details may be compromised if you are not careful.

Email

• Safeguard your email ID by using a complex password and change it periodically.
• Use two-factor authentication for login. Tow factor authentication allows you to login to your account by typing in your password along with an OTP received on your phone either through an authenticator app or an SMS. This feature is provided by most email providers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo etc.
• Logout from mail accounts after your work is done, especially on public computers. Save your files and delete these from the public computers after your work is done.
• Avoid accessing official email accounts from public Wi-Fi connections.
• Logout from mail accounts after your work is done, especially on public computers. Save your files and delete these from the public computers after your work is done.
• User should type the complete URL in the browser instead of clicking links received in an email (example – http://tiny.cc/ba1j5y). These links may take you to a malware infected website.

Banking and financial transactions

• Never share your bank and credit card details such as online account password, credit card number, CVV, expiry date, PIN, OTP etc. with anyone.
• Make it a habit to regularly update your password of your bank account and PIN of your Debit / credit cards.
• Again, you should type the complete URL in the browser instead of clicking links received in an email.
• Always check that the URL of website starts with HTTPS. The website URL with HTTPS encrypts your data in the website and protects if from any kind of tampering. Check for the bank’s security details and various signs such as green address line, lock sign on the address bar and HTTPS to confirm you are visiting a secure and genuine bank website.
• It is equally important to protect you mobile phone / smartphone as it is linked with your bank account. Always use a strong password for your mobile phone and install a good antivirus software. If you receive a call from someone who claims to a government / bank official / mobile service provider representative informing that your number will be deactivated or if they need your bank account or card details etc. please be cautious. Disconnect the phone and verify with the bank authorities by going to the bank or calling the customer care number from the bank’s official website.
• Avoid making transactions using a public Wi-Fi or a public computer in a cyber café.
• Regularly update your passbook and make it a habit to review monthly statements of your bank accounts and credit cards. Check if there is any unauthorized transaction.
• If you find out that the bank account or card details are compromised, please inform the bank immediately and block your card / account immediately. If any unauthorized transactions have taken place, you must lodge a formal complaint at your nearest police station.

Be sure to follow these steps and remain up-to-date with new threats and protect yourselves and your near and dear ones from cyber-crimes and stay safe online.

Source: This information has been obtained from the website of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal – https://cybercrime.gov.in/ and CyberDost, a Cyber-safety and Cyber-security awareness handle maintained by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India – https://twitter.com/CyberDost

You can visit the above links to get more information and to report cyber-crimes.

Tags: Personal Safety

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