The 10 Potentially Dangerous Things You Do Online
You wear your seatbelt. You park your car near the streetlight. You even apply sunscreen when it's cloudy outside. You're no risk taker! But what happens when you go online? Check out our list to see if you're already exposing your money and identity to the dangers of the Internet.
- You assume that your banking site is safe.
The bad guys go where your money goes. That’s why hastily mistyping your bank’s URL or failing to notice that you’ve been redirected to an imposter website could lead to cybertheft . Avoid unwanted withdrawals by using Kaspersky’s Safe Money technology to identify phishing websites and secure every aspect of your online banking experience. - You shop in shady places.
It’s easy to get excited when you find a great deal online, but you need to use caution before clicking “Add to Cart.” If you’re hooked by a bargain on an unknown shopping site, or you click on a search result instead of entering the URL directly, you might pay for a cybercriminal’s shopping spree instead. So how can you shop safely online? Protect every transaction from start to finish with Kaspersky’s Safe Money technology. - You only use one password.
If you’re not putting enough thought into your passwords, hackers could steal your money—and your online identity. By using multiple passwords, you’ll prevent them from accessing your entire online world with a single word. Thinking of strong passwords is also crucial. Luckily, Kaspersky’s Password Manager feature generates passwords and securely stores them across all of your devices. All of your sites will be safe—and you’ll only have to remember one password. - You don’t know all of your friends.
It might feel good to friend your entire hometown on Facebook, but it’s safer to use discretion when expanding your social network. When you accept an invite request from someone you don’t know, you’re inviting malware or identity thieves into your inner circle. - You don’t question authority
It’s important to be at least a little suspicious when you go online. In fact, more than 5,000 compromised websites are detected daily. If you never question the legitimacy of the pages you visit, you could lose money and data to cybercriminals. Avoid unusual ads and links from unknown email or text senders, too. - You’re too social.
Revealing important information to your friends and extended network can be dangerous. When you post personal facts like your name, school or family history, you give away answers to password security questions. Adjust your privacy controls to limit the people who see your information. - You don’t read the fine print.
Nobody likes to read the fine print. That’s why certain online businesses take advantage of the space to sneak carefully worded language past you. When you accept their terms and conditions without reading them, you could unknowingly give away your online privacy to the company and its affiliates. - You shop and bank on public Wi-Fi.
Cybercriminals love to spy on public Wi-Fi and trick users onto bogus networks. Question all Wi-Fi links with suspicion and use a VPN (virtual private network) to encrypt important data. Make sure your connection is completely secure by using Kaspersky’s Safe Money technology when you shop and bank online. And if you’re on your mobile device, use your cellphone network for important transactions. - You jailbreak your mobile devices.
Jailbreaking does more than add features to your smartphone or tablet. It also takes away important protections, inviting a world of mobile malware onto your device. Stay safe on the go by avoiding jailbreaks and the third-party download sites, bad apps and other online dangers that go with them. - You don’t know where your kids go online.
If you have kids, you should know their favorite websites and social networks. The Internet can be an extension of your child’s life, so it only makes sense that you stay involved to guide them through proper online etiquette, cyberbullying and the ever-changing challenges of online life.
