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Protect Yourself Online: Our Full Internet Security Guide
Updated on
min reading
Although incredibly useful, the internet can be a scary place. Having good internet security to protect yourself online is a must when it comes to making sure you and your data aren’t compromised. In our full internet security guide, we’ll walk you through all the internet security terminology and what steps you can take to protect yourself online!
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Why Is Internet Security Important?
The internet is very much still the wild west. While it’s incredibly useful for finding information, keeping up to date with the news, and staying in contact with friends around the world, the internet can still be a dangerous place. Even with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU and our telecoms regulator Comreg, your data can still be compromised if you don’t protect yourself online with your broadband.
What Is Internet Security?
Keeping yourself online isn’t just about downloading the right tools against phishing and fraud. Internet security is also about being savvy on the internet and making sure whatever information you give, you’re giving to trusted organisations and you don’t download or open applications or emails that might be suspicious. Like you would in the real world, keeping safe in the digital world is about being weary of anything out of the way.
Is My Digital Privacy at Risk Without Internet Security?
It’s really important to understand that any data that you put online is useful for companies and for criminals. This isn’t to say that anything bad happens if you put your data out there, but it’s good to be aware that many of these ‘free’ services, especially social media, aren’t really ‘free’. For legitimate companies such as Facebook or Google, they use your data to help target personalised ads and improve the user experience. For cybercriminals, they want to use your data for more nefarious reasons.
Is my data automatically at risk on Google or Facebook? Both Google and Facebook, and other social media platforms, have strict data protection laws to obey in Europe and have also taken measures to make sure they can protect your data in the safest way possible. However, cybercriminals can sometimes hack legitimate companies to steal information so it’s sensible not to give too much away as a general rule of being on the internet.
Who Might Want To Compromise My Internet Security?
Social media companies generally want to keep your data safe and secure as part of the regulations and for the interests of trust. However, there are many cybercriminals, scammers, computer viruses, that might want to compromise your internet security. With your data, criminals can find out important information about you and use it against you. For example, they can use your phone number to call you about a problem with your computer to try and scam you.
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What Are the Main Internet Security Risks Online?
Knowing what internet security threats there are out there is important for identifying any potential fraud or scams that might try and take advantage of you. These threats are a large list, but they mostly fall under any kind of suspicious behaviour that you might come across.
- Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your computer by websites you visit. They can be useful as they remember your preferences or login details. However, some cookies, for example, third-party cookies, might track your online activities across different websites, meaning your data privacy could be compromised. Generally though, cookies are used to serve you targeted ads based on your browsing behaviour. These can also use up a lot of mobile data if you’re on your phone. - Computer Viruses and Worms
Computer viruses and worms are malicious software programs (malware) designed to replicate and spread to other computers. They can be transferred through email attachments, malicious downloads, or infected USB drives. Once on a system, they might damage files, slow down the computer, or steal your data. These can even cause your broadband to go down or lose WiFi signal. - Phishing
Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information like usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers by posing as a trustworthy entity, often via email or by text. For example, you might receive an email that looks like it's from your bank with your bank's logo on it, asking you to log in and verify your details. However, the link takes you to a fake website, and any details you enter are captured by scammers. - Pharming
Similar to phishing, pharming redirects users from legitimate websites to fraudulent ones without their knowledge. This is usually done by corrupting the website’s domain name or by modifying the user's computer settings. When users think they're entering their information on a trusted site, they're actually handing it over to criminals on a fake site. - Adware
Adware is unwanted software that displays ads on your computer, often in annoying pop-up windows or within software. While some adware are usually harmless, others can covertly track your online activities to serve targeted ads. Some might even redirect your browser to unsafe websites or download additional malicious software continuing a vicious cycle. - Spyware
Spyware is software that secretly gathers user information through the user's internet connection without their knowledge. It can monitor web browsing habits, capture keystrokes, and gather other personal information. This data is then transmitted to a third party, often without the user's consent or knowledge, leading to a breach of privacy and potential identity theft.
What Are Some Typical Online Scams?
Online scams come in all shapes and sizes, but some are more typical than others. The majority of scams will involve trying to get access to your bank account information in order to steal from you. Here are the most common types of scams and how to recognise them:
| Scam | Signs | How To Protect Yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Banking | These are typically emails asking for your card details and PIN to ‘unblock’ your account or ‘verify’ your information. | Banks will never contact first for this kind of information. Remember to double check the email address to see if it’s legitimate. Call your bank on a trusted number to double check and report the scam. |
| Government Schemes | When there are government rebates, scammers will text or email people pretending to be official links to add your bank account information. | Governments will publish guidelines on how a rebate payment might be made. They will almost never ask for bank details over text or email. |
| Romance | Some dating apps include fake profiles of people who ask for money. These play on your emotions to guilt you into sending money, perhaps in exchange of meeting them in person. | It’s always a bad idea to give money to someone who you’ve never met. If you haven’t seen them face to face, don’t feel bad about not sending money. If they ask for large amounts of money, it’s likely to be a scam. |
| Holiday | Some fraudsters pose as holiday destinations or as fake AirBnB rooms that don’t exist or are not what are described on the internet. | Always check the reviews from previous travellers to make sure the place you’re booking is legitimate. Check it out on Google to make sure |
| Job | Illegitimate job offers might include being asked to pay an upfront fee for your training or handing over your personal information and the job not existing. | You should always check to see if the company is legitimate, whether they have a website and location with reviews. You can even check sites like Glassdoor to see if ex-employees have left any reviews |
| Lottery | If you receive any kind of pop-up or email telling you’re won a phone or a large sum of money, it’s almost always fraudulent. You might be asked to hand over your bank details to ‘claim your prize’. | Unless you have entered into a lottery, these pop ups are almost always a scam and are just annoying. It’s good to think of the rule of something being too good to be true. |
| Computers | Some scammers will call you about your computer needing an update or your to check your broadband line. They might claim that your computer has a virus or your broadband is being slow. | It’s very rare that your broadband provider or computer company will try and contact you over a fault. You will generally have to report the fault yourself. |
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but lots of scams will follow the same pattern of pretending to be legitimate and then taking advantage.
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How Can I Best Protect Myself Online?
Fortunately, protecting yourself online is all a matter of downloading the right software and making sure you’re not giving away personal information or passwords to sites or people you mistrust. It’s important to know what’s out there to help you protect yourself online.
What Internet Protection Tools Can I Use?
When it comes to protecting your data, there are a number of important tools you can use to help manage all your internet security. Let’s have a look at some of the main ones:
- Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is very standard for Windows computers. The program will scan your entire system to make sure there’s nothing suspicious that might be affecting your data safety. You can even set it to scan automatically so you don’t have to remember to run it. - Two-Factor Authentication
As an extra safety step when logging into an online account, you might get a code on your phone or through an email to confirm that it is you accessing the account. It’s an extra layer of security to your password to make sure it’s you. This is a popular security feature with online banking. - Virtual Private Network (VPN)
A VPN is like a secure tunnel for your internet connection. When you connect to a VPN, your online activities are encrypted and routed through a private server, making it difficult for anyone such as hackers, governments, or even your broadband provider, to see what you're doing online or trace it back to you. This tool is especially beneficial when using public WiFi, like at a cafe or airport, where your connection might be vulnerable. A VPN is useful for watching content in other countries and while data roaming.
Does my broadband have its own ‘out of the box’ protection? Most modern broadband routers come with built-in security called Wireless Protected Access (WPA). This is a basic protection layer that encrypts your Wi-Fi connection to help keep intruders out. However, for the best security, always ensure it's set to the latest versions, like WPA2 or WPA3, and always use a strong, unique password.
How Can I Protect My Bank Details Online?
Understandably, handing over sensitive banking information online can be very scary. Although it can make payments much easier, there’s always that worry that you might be scammed. A good rule of thumb is knowing which bank details are the most sensitive to hand over.
- Bank Account Information
Generally speaking, your bank account information, such as your IBAN, account number and BIC/SWIFT code are generally safe to hand over. With this number, someone can only set up a direct debit which you have full control over. You can even do a chargeback on any money going out of your account without your permission. Your bank account information is used for signing up to energy and sometimes for switching broadband providers or even cancelling your broadband deal. - Bank Card Details
Your sensitive bank card details are another story completely. Your card number, CVV, and expiry date are much more risky to hand over. As a general rule, you want to avoid giving these over the phone or on a website without being absolutely sure which company you’re talking to. With these details, you have much less control and you cannot reverse a transaction, unless you’re using a credit card.
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What Should I Do With My Passwords?
Knowing what to do with your password is a tricky one. With so many accounts to remember and each requiring you to create a strong password, it can be difficult to keep track of them all without putting them somewhere unsafe. Here are few ideas of what to do when it comes to remembering passwords:
- Secure Keychain
Apple and Google can securely store all your passwords in an online keychain that is protected by your account password. This means you don’t have to write any down and only you will have access to them. They can also auto-generate ultra-safe passwords for you to use and remember them for you so you don’t have to keep filling them in. - Secure Notes App
If you prefer to keep track of your passwords in a single file, you can put them in a notes app on your computer or phone. Make sure it’s a notes app that you can secure with a password so you only need to remember one. - Physical Notebook
If you prefer an old fashioned method, you can keep a physical notebook of your passwords and keep it in a safe place. This isn’t the most recommended since you might lose the notebook or it might get stolen, but you always put a padlock on it to make sure it’s secure.
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