5 Online Risks
With hacks, scams, malware and more, the Internet can feel like a dangerous place these days. And, the recent proliferation of devices, from smartphones and tablets to Internet-connected appliances, has opened us up to even greater risks.
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But the good news is that by taking just a small handful of security measures we can greatly reduce our exposure to all these threats.
Create Complex Passwords. We know you’ve heard it before, but creating strong, unique passwords. The failure to make the risks visible and easily accessible. Risks are not captured in a consistent format (e.g., Cause - Risk - Impact). Consider reviewing this blog post and refine the risk identification strategy for your current or upcoming projects. Additionally, capture the approach in your Risk Management Plan. 5 Benefits of Taking Risks. About 3 minutes to read. Risk, in my opinion, is another word for life. Life is a risk and without taking risks we have no life. I have noticed that people these days seem to be overly cautious, risk-averse and often crave a secure and safe outcome, but is this life?
- Source: Ponemon Institute – Security Beyond the Traditional Perimeter. Technology isn’t the only source for security risks. Psychological and sociological aspects are also involved. This is why company culture plays a major role in how it handles and perceives cybersecurity and its role.
- Webinar Topic: Top 5 risks of online shopping and how you can avoid them. Hosted By: Swanand Shinde, Education Director – Cyber Security, Quick Heal Technologies. It’s an Online World After All. When it comes to online shopping, there are several benefits that one can immediately take away. It is quick, easy, flexible, and cost efficient.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Create Complex Passwords. We know you’ve heard it before, but creating strong, unique passwords for all your critical accounts really is the best way to keep your personal and financial information safe. This is especially true in the era of widespread corporate hacks, where one database breach can reveal tens of thousands of user passwords. If you reuse your passwords, a hacker can take the leaked data from one attack and use it to login to your other accounts. Our best advice: use a password manager to help you store and create strong passwords for all of your accounts.
Then, check to see if your online accounts offer multi-factor authentication. This is when multiple pieces of information are required to verify your identity. So, to log into an account you may need to enter a code that is sent to your phone, as well as your password and passphrase.
2. Boost Your Network Security. Now that your logins are safer, make sure that your connections are secure. When at home or work, you probably use a password-protected router that encrypts your data. But, when you’re on the road, you might be tempted to use free, public Wi-Fi.The problem with public Wi-Fi is that it is often unsecured. This means it’s relatively easy for a hacker to access your device or information. That’s why you should consider investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN is a piece of software that creates a secure connection over the internet, so you can safely connect from anywhere.
3. Use aFirewall. Even if your network is secure, you should still use a firewall. This an electronic barrier that blocks unauthorized access to your computers and devices, and is often included with comprehensive security software. Using a firewall ensures that all of the devices connected to your network are secured, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices like smart thermostats and webcams. This is important since many IoT devices aren’t equipped with security measures, giving hackers a vulnerable point of entry to your entire network.
4. Click Smart. Now that you’ve put smart tech measures into place, make sure that you don’t invite danger with careless clicking. Many of today’s online threats are based on phishing or social engineering. This is when you are tricked into revealing personal or sensitive information for fraudulent purposes. Spam emails, phony “free” offers, click bait, online quizzes and more all use these tactics to entice you to click on dangerous links or give up your personal information. Always be wary of offers that sound too good to be true, or ask for too much information.
5. Be a Selective Sharer. These days, there are a lot of opportunities to share our personal information online. Just be cautious about what you share, particularly when it comes to your identity information. This can potentially be used to impersonate you, or guess your passwords and logins.
6. Protect Your Mobile Life. Our mobile devices can be just as vulnerable to online threats as our laptops. In fact, mobile devices face new risks, such as risky apps and dangerous links sent by text message. Be careful where you click, don’t respond to messages from strangers, and only download apps from official app stores after reading other users’ reviews first. Make sure that your security software is enabled on your mobile, just like your computers and other devices.
7. Practice Safe Surfing & Shopping. When shopping online, or visiting websites for online banking or other sensitive transactions, always make sure that the site’s address starts with “https”, instead of just “http”, and has a padlock icon in the URL field. This indicates that the website is secure and uses encryption to scramble your data so it can’t be intercepted by others. Also, be on the lookout for websites that have misspellings or bad grammar in their addresses. They could be copycats of legitimate websites. Use a safe search tool such as McAfee SiteAdvisor to steer clear of risky sites.
8. Keep up to date. Keep all your software updated so you have the latest security patches. Turn on automatic updates so you don’t have to think about it, and make sure that your security software is set to run regular scans.
9. Lookout for the latest scams. Online threats are evolving all the time, so make sure you know what to look out for. Currently, “ransomware” is on the rise. This is when a hacker threatens to lock you out of all of your files unless you agree to pay a ransom. Stay on top of this and other threats by staying informed.
10. Keep your guard up. Always be cautious about what you do online, which sites you visit, and what you share. Use comprehensive security software, and make sure to backup your data on a regular basis in case something goes wrong. By taking preventative measures, you can save yourself from headaches later on.
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About
Risk, in my opinion, is another word for life. Life is a risk and without taking risks we have no life.
I have noticed that people these days seem to be overly cautious, risk-averse and often crave a secure and safe outcome, but is this life? As a modern society, we seem to be so busy sanitising our existence through political correctness and warning labels that for many it is now a learned behaviour to avoid risks, rather than embrace them.
In order to achieve anything in life, we have to take positive, calculated risks. Nothing can be achieved without risk and apart from this obvious outcome, there are other numerous benefits to taking risks.
Here are just five benefits to taking risks.
Reduces the hold fear has over us
The greatest enemy of risk is fear or resistance. Often we fear something so much that we are not willing to overcome that resistance and fear to step out. When we do take a risk it reduces the stranglehold that fear has over us and our natural courage is strengthened. We are able to get into action instead of being like a deer trapped in the glare of oncoming traffic headlights.
Opens up new possibilities
5 Online Risks
When we are risk-averse we are immobile and stagnant. We attempt in vain to imagine the possible outcome but it is not until we set creation in motion with risk that new opportunities and possibilities avail themselves to us. The planet has always been filled with rich abundance but it was not until the first man built a boat and set sail that he discovered the vast possibilities available to him.
Develops self-confidence and resilience
Taking a risk does not automatically ensure success. In fact, more people have failed taking risks than they have succeeded. The fact is we often have to go through failure in order to reach success. Taking risks boosts our self-confidence in our abilities and hones our strengths but more importantly, we develop resilience and you exercise your courage. Resilience is that quality that puts us back on the bicycle after we have crashed, it’s what made Thomas Edison continue with his experiments and compelled Van Gogh to paint even though his work never sold.
Teaches great lessons
You can listen to the advice of others or observe how they live their lives but it is not until you try something for yourself, create your own experience, learn your own lesson that you will truly know. We all can have life knowledge, but it is life lessons that we remember. The greatest lessons of my life have been learnt through taking risks. These lessons have become part of my life wisdom and continue to guide and inform me each day. I own these lessons, they are mine and I could not have learned them from a book, a lecture or through avoiding the risk.
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Leads to rewards
We all know people who seem to be so lucky and great things “just happen” for them. If you look carefully things are not just happening for them, they are taking risks and reaping the rewards. If you want to achieve any dream, regardless of how large or how small you always have to take a risk. The first risk is being willing to overcome your resistance that is holding you back. You could be saying, “I took a risk and failed, there was no reward there for me!” well I would like to challenge that and say the reward was overcoming your fear, experiencing different possibilities, gaining self-confidence and growing in resilience, and learning new lessons. Sometimes the reward is not extrinsic but intrinsic.
So the question is, are you living your life or are you slowly dying because you want things nicely packaged and are too scared to take a risk?
I am not advocating that you rush off and do something foolhardy but ask yourself, why am I not taking the risk?
Be encouraged to get yourself into gear and start taking positive, calculated risks. It is truly better to take the risk and experience life than remain safe and slowly stagnate to death.