With the spread of the Internet, the era of accessible content, rapid exchange of information and rapid communication at any distance began. However, along with all this came problems, in particular, cyber crime. Cybercriminals on the web can be incredibly creative in their quest to gain access to a user's financial information or any other personal data. Here are a few things you should never do online.
1. Respond to suspicious emails
Hackers love to send fake notifications from different banks. Most often used for this message that the user must reset the password or his account has been hacked. The victim may also be prompted to open the attachment. With the help of such letters, hackers not only collect data, but can also infect a computer. Remember, banks never resolve issues this way and never ask for your details.
2. It is not clear where to pay by card
You should always pay attention to the URL of the place where you are going to pay by card. Attackers can fake entire resources by changing a few characters in the name. Therefore, the checked places should be added to your bookmarks. It is also recommended to enter the address manually. In addition, the site must have a secure "https" connection. You can check the site using Whois services, which provide data to the owner of the domain, as well as information about how much it is paid for.
3. Agree to "update your browser"
Any messages on the Internet that say "Your browser is out of date" should be ignored. This is almost always an attempt by criminals to distribute malware or steal data. Remember that most modern applications update themselves (if they are licensed).
4. Transfer money to a "friend"
One of the most common social media scams. Hackers break into a user's account, and then ask his friends in one form or another to help financially, up to "putting money on the phone." You should not give money to anyone until you communicate with your friend personally outside the social network.
5. Agree to pay to unlock your PC
Ransomware has become incredibly popular in recent years. They restrict PCs by blocking files and systems, and demand a ransom. Most often, this is a small amount of cryptocurrency. Paying hackers is not worth it, since they almost never unlock anything, and their receipt of money only motivates them to continue to commit such crimes.
If you become a victim of such a hack, you should use special utilities from antivirus companies. For example, Kaspersky WindowsUnlocker (it's absolutely free). In addition, you should regularly update the system and software, install an antivirus and use only licensed software.
6. Leaving too much information about yourself
Technology has stepped very far, and today the user can become a victim of even digital theft of his identity. Most often this happens if he leaves too much information about himself, and also uploads too many photos to the network. In addition, it is not recommended to leave a personal phone on the network, because it can get into spam mailing lists.
7. Install pirated software
Needless to say, using unlicensed software is bad. Anyone who still does this receives minus five karma points. If the motivation of karma is not enough, then it is worth remembering that hackers love to insert malicious code into software distributed through third-party sources.
In official stores, however, caution should also be exercised. There is no need to install alternative versions of well-known programs in order to gain access to "advanced functionality".
8. Transfer sensitive data over public Wi-Fi
When you use an unsecured network at home or in public places, you should not only transfer any important data, but even enter account names and passwords, make purchases, go to the online bank. You should only use a secure connection or your mobile Internet. Free cheese only comes in a mousetrap!
Interested in cyber security issues? Here's some romance about 10 unsurpassed hackers in human historythat have left their mark on history.