Read on to learn more about each tip, plus find out about resources that can help you and your family stay safe while surfing the web. You should also be aware that anything you post on social media (or anywhere) may continue to exist online even after you delete it. We’ve had prospective employers ask about content from our high school blog—and that’s been offline for about a decade or longer now. (Cue the facepalm emoji.) For example, if you get an email from Wells Fargo bank and the link preview shows “www.wells-fargo-bank.com,” it doesn’t match the correct site link that comes up in Google: “www.wellsfargo.com.” This tip includes links sent to you by friends on messaging apps. True story time: We’ve had our computer compromised by a link sent by a trusted friend over a messaging app before. The bottom line is, if it seems sketchy, play it safe and don’t click. If you’re not sure if a link is safe, you can always Google the company to find a link to the official site. Or, if an email or site asks you to log in to your bank or other accounts, you can always call to verify the request. Hackers are known to set up fake Wi-Fi hotspots to lure unsuspecting web surfers in. Once someone logs into the fake Wi-Fi, the hacker can see basically everything they do online. Scary. If you’re out on the town and looking for a Wi-Fi connection, it’s safest to ask a barista or employee what the name of their Wi-Fi network is. And if the password isn’t posted where you can see it, make sure you get that info too. The only downside to the increased security a VPN provides? It could slow your internet connection. This is because the VPN routes your info through another server to secure your data. You win some, you lose some, we guess. Check out our guide on how VPNs work, plus a list of our top VPN picks. The “S” stands for “secure,” and it means the site is encrypting your data. Children and teens may be cyberbullied by their peers, leaving them in a rough spot because they personally know the people involved. That’s why it’s important for you to get involved in what your kids are doing online and make sure they know what to do in case they’re bullied online. That’s not to say you should never use your Bluetooth. But if you’re not paired to another device and actively using it, it’s best to turn it off. You might even save some of your phone’s battery by doing that. Whatever the case, paying a little out of pocket for the software is worth it to avoid the headache of dealing with malware—or worse. And if you already have an antivirus or antimalware software installed, make sure you keep it up to date. Some of our recommended antivirus and antimalware software includes the following:
Norton AntiVirus Plus Bitdefender AVG Malwarebytes Avast SpyBot Search and Destroy
If you need some help coming up with a secure password, here are some tips: Here are some guides for different ways to backup data on your Mac, iOS devices, or PC:
iCloud (iOS devices) Time Machine (Mac) Windows 8.1 (PC) Windows 10 (PC)
