In the twenty-first century, the internet is a gold mine. With the ability to re-connect long-lost relatives and friends, teach us about everything and anything under the sun, entertain us, and, most recently, provide us with careers. However, if not used appropriately, and when you are not well educated on how to navigate the various online platforms, the internet can be a very dangerous place, especially for youngsters.
What is internet safety?
Internet safety entails the correct steps taken to safeguard one’s online presence. This can include things like keeping your account private, updating your passwords on a regular basis, and enabling two-factor authentication on your social media platforms. Internet safety is critical because we share so much of our personal information online and, at times, unconsciously overshare with the intent of content creation.
How does one get hacked?
Hackers are always developing new methods for hacking pages. Instagram accounts are hacked every 10 minutes, they entice you to join investment groups, mainly crypto, bitcoin, or forex. Start a DM conversation and then provide links to their platform tricking you into making instant money only to find out shortly later that your account is gone. This also applies to emails, whether they are professional or personal emails; hackers are aware of your interests and know just what to use to lure you, for example, “Congrats your FNB account has been awarded R100 000 worth of ebucks. Click on the following link to redeem your prize” ,”You have been picked as the lucky winner for a certain clothing brand, visit the following link to begin shopping”, and the good old scams, “Congratulations, you have won R50 000, contact the following number to receive your cash prize” (not really internet related but its important to also watch out for these and teach your kids about them ). Another method is to use a friend’s account; your friend’s account may have been hijacked and is now sending links; in this instance, it is best to contact your friend on another platform and verify whether the link is legitimate or if they have been hacked.
Safer internet tips
The key to hacking is one’s email address; your email address has access to many of your personal accounts, bank accounts, work accounts, social media accounts, and more. Find ways to strengthen your email account, such as enabling security questions that only YOU will know the answers to. Throughout all of the accounts you create, make sure to use strong passwords, yep, you read it right, PASSWORDS. It is advisable to have different passwords for your accounts. Have a strong password, shy away from your name, your pets, your spouse and your children. Always make sure your password has a special character, a number and mixture of upper and lowercase letters. Monitor your child’s internet usage and tailor it to their interests, such as YouTube Kids. Be wary of emails, SMS messages, and even WhatsApp messages from suspicious accounts requesting you to open attachments you are skeptical of.
How to keep business pages safe
- Hire a social management team(haha you know where to find us).
- Ensure you have activated the 2 step verifications on.
- Keep passwords in a very secure company folder.
- Limit who can have access to the passwords.
- Limit who can be the admin of the company pages.
- Know what spam accounts come across as so you will not fall for them!
We hope this has shed some light for you on internet safety, other than that happy browsing and stay safe.