Click, click, click & save.
There you go.
Another bit of data added to the sea of data that is the internet.
It’s amazing to think just how much data we contribute to the internet every day. According to Forbes, the total data that we produce everyday amounts up to around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data.
Did that blow your mind?
Well, what’s much more amazing is the fact that around 90% of all the data there is on the internet was generated in only the last two years.
Now, you can understand the pace with which we are growing technologically. In every few months, we see one or the other advancements in technology.
In the race of life, to stay updated with the world, we often forget that all this data that we are contributing to the internet is not really secure out there. No matter the promises that various platforms make to you regarding their fool-proof plans to secure your data and your data being their priority, they are all just as steady as a cloud of smoke. And there has been evidence to prove this, like the breaches & other cybercrimes, that prove how vulnerable data is on the internet.
Though not all of it, but surely some control is still in our hands. And if taken the right steps on the right time, data loss can be prevented and you can surely secure your data from falling into the wrong hands.
Here we have for you a few tips that can help you store your data safely so that you don’t have to worry about your digital assets’ security. Have a look!
Tips that will help you keep all your data safe & secure online
1. Protect your device, inside out
This is the first step to ensure your data is secure in your device as well as on the internet. By locking your device, you get to ensure the safety of all the data stored in it from people who might otherwise steal that data from you and cause it any damage. But besides that, installing an antivirus on your phone can help save it from various data threats like malware, adware, worms, viruses, etc.
Your device is a critical tool that you have & ensuring the security of your data in it is your responsibility. Hence you need to make sure that you only use the most trusted antivirus service for the purpose.
2. Make your passwords as strong as you can
Now, your first line of defence in the virtual world is your passwords. And especially for all the sensitive data that you have on your devices or on various platforms, it is essential that you use strong passwords that are hard to guess. A basic technique to build a strong password is to keep the following few things in mind.
- It should be longer than 8 characters.
- It should include at least 1 uppercase & at least 1 lowercase alphabet.
- It must contain a number in it.
- It must contain a symbol in it.
Besides this, try not to make it very obvious, keep it random, so that it’s even harder to guess then. Another important tip is not to keep the same passwords everywhere, as this is too risky for you. Use different passwords everywhere, to be on the safer side.
3. Use encryption to ensure safety
Though not the best solution, encryption is still a pretty strong solution today to save your data on the internet. When using a messaging application, always look for the ones with encryption. But beware, what we are talking about is end-to-end encryption, wherein even the company owning the application or service is not allowed to read your messages granting you full safety. There is also something called ‘encryption in transit’ where your messages are saved on the servers, making them unsafe.
Besides messaging apps, you can also use encrypted browsers. It is especially useful when you are doing an online transaction. These browsers help save your data from the prying eyes of malicious threats.
4. Use a Digital Home to save your digital assets
That’s right! Get a digital home for yourself.
What we mean by a digital home is a place on the internet where you can save all your data, fearlessly. A part of the internet per se, that you can own to keep all your digital assets safely so that you don’t have to be threatened of falling prey to any cybercrimes.
There are a few companies that can provide you with such services, and let you own a domain on the internet. They are so secure that you can keep any files or documents you want there & never worry about them. This is by far the only ideal solution for keeping your data secure, as here you get the complete ownership of your data.
5. Stay away from spams
Spams are always scams!
Spam messages can get you into great trouble & you need to watch out for them. If you even see an email or message that claims that they can provide you with an antivirus to keep your device secure, through a link, DO NOT open the link. Another case can be that you receive an email that seems to be someone you know but has a suspicious attachment with it, DO NOT open the attachment. In either of these situations, the most probable case is that these links or attachments will actually install malware on your device.
Spam is one of the biggest sources for increasing cyber crimes. So, you need to keep an eye out to make sure that you don’t fall into its trap.
6. Use only secure WiFi
Lookout before instantly connecting to an open WiFi network. Why?
Because using an open WiFi network also puts a lot of your data in danger, since they don’t usually encrypt traffic. This means that another user on the same network can take a sneak peek of your traffic. Frauds can go a step further & steal valuable information from you.
So, remember only to use secure WiFi and even in the case that you do use an open WiFi, just remember not to access any private information, while on it. This is an essential step for your data’s security.
7. Back-up is a must
No matter how many precautions you take, you can never be 100% sure that your data is safe. After all, in cases of breaches, a lot of your data might be lost even without your fault. So, to save your data in such situations, the best you can do is keep a backup of it so that even if it is lost, you can still regain it easily.
So, remember to back-up all your data from time to time. You never know, when the trouble might hit you, so be prepared for it at all times.
8. Don’t grant Permissions just like that
The next time you grant an application permission to access your contacts, gallery, messages, location, etc. just ask yourself one simple question.
‘What if this data gets lost?’
We bet the answer to this for you would be that it could bring you trouble, right?
This is why you should take the app permissions seriously. Don’t permit everyone to access everything on your devices. You can’t give up your personal data just for the sake of using one extra feature of an application.
Also, every time you accept the terms & conditions of a website or application, do go through them once. This way you can know what they can take for you & then decide whether or not you can let them access those details. The privacy policy is another aspect of the same and you should pay attention to all these to ensure you have full knowledge of how your data is used.
9. Be careful while Sharing
We know those Facebook & Instagram likes & followers make you feel good, but it’s time you refrain yourself for the best. The larger the audience to your personal information, the more is the threat of it being misused. You don’t need everyone to see your posts, so make sure that only the people you know & trust can see your data. Also, limit the audience for your posts & keep your accounts private.
Secondly, even though it might be too tempting to post everything on social media, you don’t always need to do that. These days social media has taken over our lives so much, that all you need to do to stalk a person is to stay updated with their social media feed. So, refrain yourself from posting anything & everything on your accounts.
10. Stay updated
Those updates that come on your applications from time to time work more than just at enhancing its features. Often times, these updates also include better security updates for your data. So, keep all your applications updated from time to time.
Updates are an essential part of your applications’ security and not updating them often can make them more vulnerable to newer data threats. So, to keep your data secure, updates are a necessity.
Conclusion:
Keeping your data secure is a responsibility for you & it can only be done if you take the right steps at the right time. The steps given above can help you maximise your efforts to secure your personal data on your devices & other platforms too. But it is still advisable that you use a secure place on the internet to secure your digital assets rather than just another platform that provides you with free storage services for your data. After all, it’s better to pay a price for your data’s security than to give up on your data privacy as a price.