Cybercrime – the act of committing crime using a computer, the internet or some other smart device – is on the rise faster than ever before. Thanks to the increased reliance we place on our technologies and the ever expanding digitally connected world, cybercriminals have more opportunity than ever to make our lives a misery by trying to steal our sensitive data.
Acquiring data is the primary objective behind most cybercrimes, because criminals can use it to do almost anything: commit financial fraud; steal your identity; or take out loans, just to name a few. BestVPNs have an ever more detailed list of the threats lurking out there.
Although cybercrime has been around for years, it is now one of the biggest threats to us as individuals who use the internet, thanks to the dominant role the internet and tech now play in our lives. The world is online, and so are plenty of cybercriminals who want to steal your information, data and money.
Staying protected against cybercriminals is quite easy; you do not need to spend any money or have any special knowledge.
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Change your password regularly.
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Do not open suspicious emails.
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Do not share your password.
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Keep your devices updated.
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Make sure you only visit trustworthy websites.
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Do not divulge financial information on non-official websites.
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Install firewall.
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Install anti-virus.
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Scan regularly for malware.
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Access the internet through a secure and encrypted connection.
It is not just you who is at risk, businesses and celebrities are too, and you can take some comfort in knowing that these are the bigger targets. Social networks are a big target, and there were 347 high profile account breaches between 2012 and 2016. In 2016, 83 social media accounts of corporations and celebrities were attacked.
Each day, 165,000 Facebook accounts are compromised and it is easy to see why, when 7 in 10 people use the same passwords for their social media accounts as their professional emails.
