We’ve become increasingly reliant on a whole host of different online services and for many of us most of the day is spent dealing with any number of matters through the internet – with that it has become increasingly important to find ways to stay secure online and often times issues arise through being uneducated in the most common efforts to compromise your security. So, what can you do to stay safe and secure online?

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Password managers – We’re subscribed to a growing number of services and access more sites on a daily basis than we have before, it can often be difficult to keep up with unique passwords for each and many of us will resort to using the same or similar passwords across multiple services. A growing number of password managers have hit the market though with some paid and some free, offering two-factor or three-factor authentication and a secure password generator, you’ll only need to remember one password for access to the others – certainly useful for helping your online security.

Secure payments – Making payments online has also become all too common and whilst many banks will have their own security in place, it’s up to you to ensure you’re using secure payment methods too. An area this has become increasingly common is within gaming following recent changes such as the ban on credit card betting and gambling, as services such as CNOG have adapted around this change and other initiatives such as Gamstop, some will look to take advantage – make sure you recognize the payment method and provider, and search their credentials if needed, and if in doubt – don’t pay.

Explore common threats – The easiest and most effective way to ensure you’re staying safe online is to explore the most common ways that your security can be compromised – if you’re more aware of the attempts that can be made such as fake emails, fake links, and other phishing attempts, you’ll be better equipped to protect yourself. Whilst the above mentioned can certainly be a big help, if you’re offering over the details yourself then there’s little you can do to protect yourself.

VPNs – Every video you’ve watched on YouTube over the past few years may have had mention of a VPN at some point, they’ve been heavily pushed in recent years and for good reason – they work. They essentially point your IP to a different location so any traffic coming from your system or mobile device appears to be coming from somewhere else – if you’re concerned about privacy or whether your data can be used, then using a VPN may help to quiet some of those concerns and help you feel more secure online.

These are just a few of many tips out there however, if you’re actively using different online services its important to know where the security concerns may be in order to stay protected, and keeping up to date with all security advices such as regularly changing your password will certainly do a lot to help in staying safe online.

Edward Bertrand