Your personal information should stay just that way - personal. So when it comes to the online world, there’s a whole host of individuals who are merely waiting for you to be vulnerable in order to steal your information for blackmail or to commit other fraudulent activities. Here are some tips to help protect yourself and your personal information online.

Have Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are something that everyone recommends when it comes to protecting your online data, but you’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t use different passwords for each login that they use when on the internet. This can be very dangerous because if a person can get a hold of one of these accounts, they’ll likely track down every other account you own through your browsing history. So nothing is really safe if you’re using the same passwords for every single login. Try to create strong passwords but using passwords that you can actually remember. When creating a password, the less relatable to you personally, the better. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use passwords that have meaning to you.

Be creative and try to include parts of the password that relate to the site itself too, so it becomes more memorable. You can also get password software nowadays that you have one login for and then it automatically creates passwords for all of your accounts and remembers them for you when you click on the site. That way, you have very few passwords you have to remember.

Use VPN

The main purpose of a VPN is to make your online activity hard to follow. VPNs are often used to guard against hackers and snoops on public networks, but they're also useful for hiding your IP address, browsing activity, and personal data on any Wi-Fi network.

Private Internet Access (PIA) is seen as one of the best virtual private networks (VPNs) available. The software is open-source, and it’s a much cheaper option compared to a lot of other top-rated VPNs.

Look out for a pia vpn review where you can learn the pros and cons of this software and decide what suits you if you’re looking for a strong level of privacy.

Install A Parental Lock

Parental locks are good to have when you have children in your household and are using the internet. They may not have the same awareness of the online world as an adult has, but they may have the ability to look on sites that you’re not familiar with. These sites could potentially be dangerous, especially if they are interacting with other people. A parental lock can control what your children see on the internet and therefore allows them no access to mature content on their phones or electronic device in the home. This is because it can be controlled via your internet package and television subscription. You can also put timers on when the internet is available to use. It might seem controlling, but it’s handy to have.

Have Two-Step Identification

Nowadays, merely having the password as a layer of security isn’t enough. So there are now new ways to help with adding extra security for your logins. One of which can be two-step identifications. This identity verification service is definitely something worth installing if ever the platforms you’re using offer it. Online banking and your email accounts are two services that will use this. It works by linking your phone number to the account. When adding in your password to log in, you then get a text or phone call to your phone to verify the login. You’ll need to input a code usually to log in fully. This stops hackers from getting through because the only way they can get that code is if they have your phone. So if this is available to you, take full advantage of it.

Update Your Anti-Ware Software

Anti-ware is a security measure that you must have on your computers and electronic devices because they are not safe without this additional security cover. Anti-ware software doesn’t cost a lot, and often it’s something you only need to pay once a year. They usually also cover multiple devices with just the one cost. Check out your anti-ware software now and see if it’s even active currently. It’s easy to forget about something like this, so it’s good to check on it and remind yourself to check when it’s due to expire. Also, enquire about any upgrades to the software to and set your computer or device to check for updates to it automatically.

Be Wary Of Your Emails

And finally, your emails. This is somewhere that’s most likely to be vulnerable because you can easily click on a link or download a file from an email that you think is legitimate but actually isn’t. Be wary of your emails and check each one carefully before doing anything with it. A few tips would be to check that the email is correct and that you’re expecting that email. If it’s from your bank wanting to change any details, ring them directly.

Take these steps to protect your personal details and to avoid becoming a victim.

** This is a collaborative post.**