If you are like the rest of the world and stuck in your home during the quarantine, you may be getting tired of remote working. In fact, you may find yourself taking the opportunity to browse online during breaks or for work purposes. In fact, ZDNet reports that there has been, “unprecedented demand for connectivity” due to the remote work environment caused by the pandemic. Whether it is teleconferences, online browsing, or kids playing video games online, the statistics show that we are online more now than at any time in our history. The numbers show that in-home internet usage has increased by more than 40%! Since we all seem to be online lately, whether it is for work or pleasure, now is a good time to review the top three online browsing habits we should all quit right now.
#1 - Stop Entering Personal Information Online
It is tempting to enter your contact information to win a free meal or other prize, especially with many companies offering awards during this time of social distancing in hopes of getting us to patronize struggling businesses. Don’t do it. Resist the urge to enter your information to sites that are hoping to gather information on you including your name, email, phone number, address, business name, and even your mother’s maiden name. Be especially wary if you need to enter your credit card number to purchase anything. Always confirm that the site is indeed secure with the lock icon or HTTPS in the menu bar.
#2 - Stop Sharing Too Much On Social Media
Like most of us right now, we are glued to our social media accounts to keep up with what is going on in the world. While sharing on social media is a great way to stay connected to family and friends during this time of social distancing, resist the temptation to divulge too much information. Too many of us are posting images from inside out homes, letting others know when we have headed outside, or even linked to our favorite sites. Try not to give too much information away online. You never know who could use this information later to access your data or your home.
#3 - Stop Reusing Passwords
It may be tempting to use a password that is familiar and easily memorized for each and every one of our logins. Unfortunately, while it would be simple, it would also be a mistake to do this. We have discussed many times about how important it is to have strong and different passwords for each of your accounts. The reason for this is based on the idea that if a hacker should happen upon your password on one account, they would then have easy access to all of your accounts should you use the same one for all.
#4 - Stop Opening Unfamiliar Emails and Attachments
One of the best ways to have a virus or malicious software get installed on your device is to open an email or attachment that has the code for such a thing. By doing this you are putting yourself at great risk of a phishing scam. Phishers are scammers who send emails containing links or attachments that, once you click on them, can trick you into revealing your login information or infect your computer with malware or ransomware.What are your worst online habits that you are trying to break? Leave us a line in the comments, drop us a note on Facebook, or check out one of our articles here.
