Internet Security is an important topic these days. Folks are spending more money online than they do in stores. Because almost everything that we need to do can be done online, schemers also brought their operations online. There's a lot of widespread malicious software attacks that steal private information every day. the majority of these attacks are taking advantage of the user's bad habits online. Here are the top five online habits that compromise your internet security.
5) Installing apps/plugins from unknown sources
Hackers can inject malicious software using other software that looks safe to use.
These malicious apps can steal private information that the hacker can use for his own purposes. Before you install an application that came from the internet, checking for reviews and scanning the file before running is a recommended practice.
4) Surfing malicious sites
The more you dip your fingers in the mud, the more your hands will get dirty. Browsing unknown or sketchy sites can get you problems that you'll wish you never had. These sites can steal your online credentials or inject malware through ads. You won't even know that you have these harmful programs until you lose money or something equally bad. You can also get trojans, ransomware, or cryptoware via "Exploit Kits", according to Bleeping Computer.
These unwanted apps usually came from ads, pop-ups, or simply from the website itself. Better stick to websites with a good reputation.
3) Skipping software updates
Getting updates to your software is a pain in the neck if you have limited internet data. However, these updates are patches that keep your software secure to use.
Outdated software is often a target for attacks because patches that fix exploitable areas are never installed. it is okay to skip updates once in a while, but periodically skipping updates is a very bad habit.
2) Connecting to public Wi-Fis
Watching funny videos online while waiting for someone at a public place seems to be a good thing to do to pass the time.
However, public Wi-Fis are known to be a honeypot for hackers. Once a hacker hacks a public Wi-Fi, it can get all the information he needs on your phone or on your laptop. That is why banking and buying items online using public Wi-Fi connection is never recommended.
1) Relying too much on anti-virus software
While virus and malware protection apps are doing a good job in keeping unwanted software at bay, no software is perfect. The best anti-virus is the user himself. Hackers are usually one step ahead of anti-virus software in the cyber race. Protection software can only eliminate malware and viruses that are in the database. Relatively new viruses and malware will surely do damage first before protection software can do anything.
