How often do you log onto the internet? Many times per day? How much time do you spend online? About 8 to 10 hours per day. And what do you do to keep yourself and your family safe from cyber attacks? Do you think about the safety of your actions online? 
The battle between tech and hackers intensifies as businesses, developers, and programmers are forced to step up their efforts for protection. Cyber attacks are increasing in number and intensity and you never know when you could be the next victim.
We lock the doors and windows of our house to make sure that it is protected from burglars. We put our children to bed and remember to watch over to ensure that they are safe. But what kind of caution do we take to secure our data online? Unfortunately, we don’t even realize the real threats that can enter into our lives through our internet connection. Some of these threats are just spam, which annoys you, while some are devastating and could result in severe losses.
A Few Statistics
- The number of devices connected to the internet is more than the number of people on planet Earth.
- 88% of young adults (between 18 to 29 years of age) in the U.S use any form of social media (Source: Pew Research Center – Social Media Use in 2018)
- As of 2017, 88% of households in the UK owned a home computer (Source: Statista 2018)
- 1% of the world’s population has internet access (Source: World Internet Users Statistics and 2018 World Population Stats)
The rise in social media networking and our desire to share information online makes it even easier for hackers to steal our personal information for use as per their advantage.
Potential Dangers
- Access to your confidential data such as phone number, home address, date of birth, interests, location, browsing history, and other personal information.
- Identity theft
- Stalking
- Phishing scams
- Fraudulent Emails
- Offline attacks as a result of information about personal whereabouts
- Exposure to unsuitable content for minors
These are just some of the dangers and the list does not end here.
How to Stay Protected?
Experts have been guiding internet users on several methods that they can implement to protect themselves from cyber attacks and frauds. Some of these ways include installation of regular virus scans, the use of tech accessories, and the privacy settings of your social media profiles. While these are basic precautions that you can take, here are some other aspects that you must focus on:
- Limit who has access to your profile
- Limit what you post
- Create strong passwords
- Filter the content you post and avoid writing anything that can cause trouble
- If you receive something that looks fishy, don’t open it, even if it is from your friend or a recognized institution.