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South Africa has recently been brought up to international standards after establishing a new cybercrime law in the country. With cyber criminality showing an alarming rise in recent times, the law couldn’t come soon enough for the people of South Africa. Whether or not countries like Uganda follow South Africa’s lead remains to be seen, but it is certainly an encouraging step made the country’s hierarchy.
Cybercrime can affect anyone. Whether you’re tech-savvy or the internet and its offering continues to baffle you, and you could easily be on the receiving end of an online scam. The range of methods cybercriminals are using is changing all of the time, too, especially thanks to new technology. The way in which these online criminals operate is continuing to shock the authorities, with cybercrime showing an alarming rise globally.
There is always a risk of having your computer compromised and your personal information stolen. One minute you could be surfing the web looking for a bargain or attempting to play the Mr Cashback slot game, then the next, you could open up a seemingly harmless email and fall victim to an online phishing attack. All it takes is the click of a link or some out of date antiviral software, and you’re immediately vulnerable. Thankfully, though, there are ways in which we can protect ourselves online and make the job harder for cybercriminals in the process.
With that in mind, here are some basic ways you can guard against cyber criminality.
Use a full-service internet security suite
In the same way, you’d make sure your front door or car window is shut, in order to make sure you aren’t feeding the latest crime headlines, it’s certainly worthwhile investing in a full-service internet security suite. For example, trusted providers Norton Security offer a range of real-time protection features against online criminals and the methods they use. These types of services tend to feature protection against existing and emerging malware and do an excellent job at protecting your private and financial information whenever you do surf the web.
Use strong passwords
It sounds obvious, but many people don’t do it, which is why using a strong and secure password is vitally important. You might have multiple accounts, for example, which is why using a range of different passwords is a necessity. You shouldn’t have the same passwords for different sites. Make your passwords complex, and even consider using a password management application. Essentially, password management applications help you keep your passwords locked down in a safe place while also enabling you to come up with hard to crack passwords.
Keep your software updated
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Not everyone keeps on top of it, which plays right into the hands of cybercriminals, but keeping your software up to date and in working order is important. With sophisticated software and the powerful electronic devices of today, as consumers, it’s important to monitor them closely. Always check your internet security software and make sure that it is up to date. Criminals regularly look to exploit any flaws.
Strengthen your security on Wi-Fi A strong encryption password is a good place to start, but using a VPN goes one step further and provides a great deal of security to an online user. Using a VPN, all of your traffic will be encrypted when it leaves your devices and until it arrives at its destination. Should you be hacked, the criminals won’t be able to access anything but the aforementioned encrypted data. Using a VPN is especially important when using a public Wi-Fi network in an airport or a cafe, for example
