Staying Secure in the Digital Age

Written by Nwbugwu Somgolie

Stephanie is a woman who is social media savvy. On average, she has about 1000 friends on Facebook, 500 followers on Twitter, and at least 2000 followers on Instagram. One day, she receives a message from one of her online followers, telling her about a great opportunity she would be interested in. This follower also included a link that contained more details. 

Excited at the possibility of a great opportunity, Stephanie thanked this follower and clicked on the link. She was required to input details which included her name, maiden name, birthday, and other personal data. Unknown to her, it was a scam site where they would gain access to her data to hack into her platform. In a matter of minutes after submitting the form, Stephanie was duped by 100,000 nairas.

The crazy thing is, She isn’t the only one who has fallen victim to this. Many people on the internet have found themselves exactly in situations like this, or even worse simply because they take their digital security for granted. The moral of this story stresses the need to secure yourself in this digital age. This article goes ahead to show you how to do so. 

In a world that grows a lot more digital every day, private information about you is being stored online. This can be your website visits, online calls, chats, and emails you exchange with others. 

Due to the availability of any and every information needed online, it's now a priority to enforce cybersecurity to protect your private information from strangers. 

Also read: The Impact of 5G on Businesses

Importance of cybersecurity

 

Cybersecurity helps to protect your computers, programs, and data against intruders. 

Some of the importance of cybersecurity includes the following:

• It protects and preserves personal data. Internal threats occur within organizations. This could be the collection of personal information of employees or customers. Cybersecurity can help protect and prevent these threats; whether accidental or not. 

• It enhances overall security. When system vulnerabilities arise in businesses or organizations, the best solution to apply is cyber security. It eliminates threats from cyberspace and keeps sensitive information protected.

• By maintaining good online safety practices, individuals can prevent the risks that come with digital devices and platforms 

How To Secure Yourself In The Digital Age

The internet, despite having its many advantageous uses, can also be a space that hosts fraudulent acts if not careful. 

As earlier stated, there is a need to protect you and your personal information against cyber threats. The following are some tips to secure and prevent risks in the digital age.

• Always update your devices and computers: Every day, new types and forms of viruses are released into cyberspace. Ensuring that the operating system of your devices is up to date will help it fight off any intrusions and threats. 

• Use Strong passwords: The one way people can gain access to your private life is through your passwords. Always ensure you use strong letters, numbers, or characters to protect your data. 

• Shop wisely: When shopping online, ensure that the sites are protected. A secured web address always has a lock symbol at the top left corner. 

• Always check the privacy policy of websites: This policy lets you know how your personal information is being kept safe by the site. If the said website doesn’t have a privacy policy, it's advised you take your surfing elsewhere. 

• Keep your personal information away from the internet: Hackers are constantly on the lookout for discrepancies in users. Posting personal information like birthdays, addresses, etc can make you a target. Also, stay security conscious when connecting with people you are not familiar with online. 

• Watch out for scam sites: These sites use fake forms to trick users into inputting their private data. Do not click on pop-up forms or links whose sources are unknown. 

• Control online activity: As a parent who is concerned with the online activities of their kids, it is advised to introduce parental control on devices. This way, you can monitor what your child is doing online and watch out for threats. 

• Backup your data:  Regularly backing up your data and important files would help protect them from being lost. 

Conclusion 

Cybersecurity sensitization is something that has become very important in the world we live in today. The tips listed above will help keep you informed on the steps to take to stay protected. 

 Thank you for reading through. If you find this insightful, do well to like, comment and share with others  Thank you ❤.