22 Aug 2022
Are you aware of internet safety rules? Do you know that your private data is at risk of being attacked by 30,000 malware created daily? Yes, you are vulnerable to crackers.
The world has become a global village. Life without the internet is unimaginable. But what if you realise that your most trusted scientific invention, the Internet, can breach your privacy in nanoseconds?
Imagine that you want to send money to Nigeria from the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, or some other country. You open the web browser to perform the online transaction through your bank. You enter all the information of your account into a similar-looking, fake website. The next moment, you receive a message from your bank stating that your account balance is zero. But the receiver confirms that he hadn't received the cash. Scary! Right?
Such scams and hacking attempts make every internet user vulnerable to losing their precious data, information, money, etc. But you need not worry as you can stay safe if you know and follow certain defensive measures while surfing the internet.
Internet safety rules and what not to do online
Here are the Top 10 internet safety rules and what not to do online to save you from such situations. Read till the end to protect yourself from being attacked by malicious people over the internet.
Hackers can easily access all the information stored on your device. To prevent this, never share your private data online. No one can have your data until you share it. In some cases, if you have to share your data like your social security number, do it through E-mail or encrypt the file before sending it.
Antivirus programs are made to save your data from online threats. Developers keep researching and sending antivirus updates to protect your device from severe malware attacks. Don't ignore updating your antivirus program; never risk your data privacy.
Free wifi is the most accessible source for hackers to avail your data. Suppose you are an expatriate walking on the road in your free time, and you suddenly remember that you have to send money to Nigeria online urgently to your family. The most probable solution that will come into your mind will be connecting to a free wifi network of a nearby coffee shop. After clicking and performing an online transaction, you will lose all your precious and private data if that wifi turns out to be fake.
Avoid downloading anything from a browser that looks suspicious to you. Cybercriminals can enter your laptop through the malware present in the downloaded application.
Strong passwords ensure solid online protection. You must prefer creating a long password with a mixup of unique characters and upper case and lower case letters. No one can ever hack fifteen digits passwords with a blend of alphanumeric and special characters, but anyone can quickly hack a password containing less than ten digits.
Two-factor authentication, also known as 2FA, offers supreme protection to your account. No one can log in to your account with just a correct password when 2FA is enabled. A code is sent to your device, which you must enter before accessing the account.
When you make an online purchase, you are asked to enter information about credit card or bank account information, which is precisely what fraudsters want.
Provide this information only to sites that offer encrypted and safe connections. You may identify secure sites by checking for an address that begins with HTTPS: rather than simply HTTP. They might also be shown by a padlock icon next to the address bar.
Bluetooth, like any other wireless connection, may be hacked. You expose your device over the Bluetooth connection and make your data vulnerable to hackers' attack. Check your settings and switch it off when you're out in public.
It would help if you avoid the following types of internet content:
If you click on a money transfer app link and an unknown music website opens, quickly leave the page.
As an expat, if you are looking to find the best way to transfer money across borders, consider downloading an international money transfer app from the play store. ACE Money Transfer’s mobile app is one of the best in the industry, which you can use to make a money transfer to Nigeria instantly and safely.
Internet safety means protecting yourself from unwanted events. Losing photos is one of the unfortunate events that you should make yourself protected from. Back them up on Google Drive or some other secure cloud storage that only you can access when you need the files.
There is no delete key on the Internet because deleting the original does not erase any copies produced by others. Any comment or image you put online may remain online indefinitely. Put nothing on the internet that you wouldn't want to reveal publically.
It would help if you never did certain things online because your bad online behaviour can lead to hazardous activity.
Bottom Line
It will help if you take care of your private data online as you care for your home. The tips mentioned above can significantly improve your online security, protecting you from malicious happenings. ACE Money Transfer is here to prevent losing your money when transferring funds back home. You can trust ACE’s safe services to send money to Nigeria and other countries with fully end-to-end encrypted security.
