If you’re like me and you live your whole life online, you’re probably starting to
feel a little uneasy at the damage someone could do by getting access to all your data,
so you want to come up with a few strategies for protecting your data online.
This video will show you how to stay safe online by talking you through the steps to
avoid being hacked, keep your passwords stored safely, and keep your emails private and secure.
Six ways hackers get your data • Find passwords by running them through
a dictionary of words so if you use words or names because they are memorable, you are
vulnerable.
• Keylogging: the hacker deploys a software called keylogger on your system.
This software records every stroke on your keyboard and stores the information in a log
file which the hacker can look into for sensitive information like your username and passwords
for online accounts.
• Cookies on your browser: cookies on your browser enable quick access to frequent sites
and are required to make a lot of sites work properly.
Once the hacker steals cookies from your browser, they can authenticate themselves as you and
log in to your online accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
Within a few clicks, they will have all your details in front of them.
• Fake wireless networks: hackers can use your favourite coffeehouse or public areas
like airports to create fake wireless access points (WAPs).
You might think you are connecting to the public Wi-Fi, however you are actually giving
a malicious party direct access to your device via Wi-Fi.
• Phishing: the hacker masquerades as a legitimate entity connected to you e.g. your
bank, or a popular shopping website you use.
They then contact you (via text message, email or phone) pretending to be this entity in
an effort to get you to give them your confidential information or inadvertently clock on links
and download malicious software.
• Social engineering attacks usually target businesses.
These attacks exploit basic social norms to steal confidential information – for example
someone dons a high vis jacket and walks into a building holding a clipboard – they ask
for access to something and are given access because they look trustworthy.
Good password manager • Use unique passwords for everything.
These should be strong, use numbers, letters (upper and lower case) and symbols.
• Never save passwords on a desktop or in a document.
• Never write your password down.
• Never email passwords to anyone.
• Never save passwords in Chrome (or whatever browser you are using).
This is very insecure!
• Use two-factor authentication where you can.
Email safety tips • Be suspicious.
A lot of cyberattacks are launched through simple malicious email campaigns – email
is a major security risk.
The best way to avoid being scammed by phony emails is to just make sure the sender is
who you think it is.
Check their email address to see if they match with the website you think it’s from.
To be extra cautious you can check the IP address of the sender.
• Don’t plug in devices you’re not sure about.
For example, USB sticks.
• Never open attachments.
A good rule to follow is never open attachments unless you are 100% sure of where they came
from.
One of the easiest ways for hackers to download malicious code onto victims’ computers is
by sending emails with virus-laden files.
A frequent way companies get hacked is by one unsuspecting employee downloading malicious
software that infiltrates the entire network.
The most dangerous file types are Word, PDFs, and .EXEs.
You can do this by finding the source information from the email and looking for the IP address
that follows the line "Received: from."
You can then Google the IP address to learn the email's source.
• Don’t put things in email that you wouldn’t be prepared to see on the front page of a
newspaper.
Email is not secure.
• Never click on a link in an email unless you have verified the sender (not just their
name, their actual email address) and you trust them.
Even then, it’s better to copy the URL and paste it into your browser
Thanks for watching – we hope you like the video – please comment or subscribe if you
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