In today’s digital world, a lot of dangers await a person on the Internet. Our tips will help you secure your personal data.
Saying “protect your personal information online” is simple, but how do you do it? We’ve put together this guide to point you in the direction of what to watch out for scammers who use your data, leakage of general information, the most effective way to protect yourself. Dropbox offers a variety of ways to protect yourself from situations where your data could be used against you, from the Dropbox Passwords password management system to the Vault cloud storage with two-level encryption.
What Is Personal Data?
Personal data, or PII, is a characteristic assigned to any data that can identify a specific person. Your address, email address, and phone number are traditionally considered PII data, but you also need to be aware of hidden information that identifies you online, such as IP addresses, connected devices, and social media pages. Biometric data could also be included in the list of information stored on the Internet as face and fingerprint IDs continue to gain popularity.
No matter how hard you try, there is no getting away from providing personal data on the Internet. Whether you’re shopping online or sharing photos or sensitive information with your family, you need to know how to protect your data.
Every year, 1 in 10 Americans is scammed due to identity theft. The more we connect our lives with the Internet, the more cybercrime is gaining momentum.
Let’s say, you’re playing to your favorite game, book of dead slot, you have to stay vigilant. Even though the website ensures a safe gambling time.
How to Protect Your Information Online
Depending on the platform, there are different ways to protect your information and improve your cyber security:
In Email
Do not reveal important information when registering a new email address, even if it has become the norm. For example, it is easy to guess that the address ivanivanov90@mail.com belongs to Ivan Ivanov, who was born in 1990.
Avoid emailing important information and documents whenever possible. Instead, host them in secure cloud storage (like Dropbox) and send the recipient a shared link to the file.
Never open emails or follow links if you don’t trust the sender, and especially don’t download attachments from such emails. If an official organization sends you an email asking you to upload something or share information, you should call them directly to confirm this request: usually the email is not sent to initiate a correspondence.
In Social Networks
Social media is often an insecure way to present yourself online. A quick glance at the page reveals all sorts of personal information, from your location and age to your job, hours of work, and even when you’re on vacation, which can leave you vulnerable to burglary.
Be sure to review all privacy settings for your account data, and limit access to personal data if possible. If this is not possible, try not to share too much information in the public domain: for example, you can upload pictures from a vacation after returning home.
Don’t show sensitive information in your selfies and other photos. You will be surprised how inventive and persistent criminals can be when it comes to finding information that interests them.
If you store and share your photos using a cloud service like Dropbox, no one will ever see them without your permission. In addition, storing your photos in the cloud is also useful because you will have time to edit them and choose your favorite pictures before sharing them with the world. Want to delete photos you’ve already uploaded to Facebook but don’t want to lose them forever? The Facebook data import tool helps you transfer photos and videos from your Facebook account to your Dropbox account.
When You Use Credit Or Debit Cards Online
Each of us has a favorite online store that we use regularly, and entering your details every time can be tedious, but it’s worth it. If you save your card details online, then all the criminals need is your email address and password to manage your finances freely. This also applies to your web browser: if you store your card details in the browser, anyone who can access your browser user profile will have access to them as well.
If you want to make a purchase or order online with your card, check to see if your bank offers additional security measures. Your bank probably offers such a simple and effective safeguard as multi-factor authentication. This security method requires not only a password, but also a unique user number or multi-device login. Thus, even if an attacker learns your password, phone number, date of birth, etc., he will not be able to reach the goal if he does not have your phone.
Dropbox Vault is a simple and secure solution if you prefer to store sensitive information online for your own convenience. Vault is a PIN-protected folder in your Dropbox account that you can access anytime, on any device. It is ideal for storing medical documents (such as vaccination certificates), financial and legal documents, and other files.
When Using Passwords
As difficult as it may be, try not to use the same password for all your accounts. It’s natural to have a dozen different strong passwords in your head, but it’s a necessary step – especially for email accounts and any site that uses your credit card information. To get started, we recommend checking existing passwords to make sure your data is safe. Dropbox Passwords has a built-in online password checker that makes it easy to rate your password’s security from “weak” to “very strong”. It can even automatically generate a secure password for you.
The next step in protecting against hackers is to use a password manager (like Dropbox Passwords) that will allow you to securely log into any system on all devices and platforms. Passwords creates and stores unique passwords for all your accounts, so you don’t have to remember them or worry about an attacker gaining access to them.
Once you’ve taken the steps to secure your passwords, you can add an extra layer of security with Dropbox password breach notifications. In the event of a data breach, Dropbox Passwords will immediately send you a notification with detailed instructions on how to quickly respond to activities related to fraud, theft and data leakage.
Back Up Your Data
You may have accidentally downloaded a questionable attachment or made a security mistake and ransomware or malware has entered your computer. Ransomware is a virus that blocks access to your files. Access will only be restored if you pay the ransom – the FBI strongly discourages doing so.
Although there are programs that can erase a virus from your computer, there is a chance that you will not be able to recover your files. But if you back up with a trusted cloud backup service (like Dropbox), you’ll always have access to your files and they’ll be protected.
Get Started
Now you know about the main dangers and how to protect yourself. It’s time to act! Luckily, these days it’s easier than ever. Of course, it will take time and effort to change your online habits, but there are simple, convenient ways to protect yourself, such as cloud storage and a password manager.