6 Most common mistakes that compromise online security

common mistakes that compromise online security

You breathe a sigh of relief when you book that railways ticket online, right? No need to stand in an ever-growing queue, soaking up the sun. Just a simple click on the IRCTC website link that arrived in one of the mails, a super-quick login, booking the tickets, and finally paying off via online banking, what a breeze! What looks like a breeze is just the beginning of a sand-storm as each of the steps you have taken above, compromises your online security. Let’s take a walk and have a look at 6 most common mistakes that we all commit online.

1) Multiple Accounts…1 password, wait what?

The above scenario is just like having a number of safes, storing your hard-earned money, and having a single key for all of them, thus avoiding the hassles of keeping track of each and every key for each safe. But on the downside, think what would happen if someday that key leads into wrong hands? Sorry to say my dear friend, but you’re done!!

It’s always the best practice of keeping different passwords for different accounts; no matter how much inconvenient it might look to you. Not to mention that the passwords must be a combination of upper case, lower case characters, digits and symbols.

2) Accessing account via an email link, cool..eh?

Not at all. This is one of the most common ways of getting thieved. Fraudsters often send you phishing mails that ask you to click on a link which takes you to your social networking login page or maybe your banking website (which looks quite genuine) and you end up giving your username and passwords happily into those unknown hands. Beware of such mails and never ever click on any links provided in them. Always prefer the old-fashioned way of manually entering the URL in the browser bar.

Also Read: What’s Involved With Penetration Testing and Why It’s Important

Read :- How easy and safe it is to sell and buy stuff online

3) Love those pop-ups?

I advise you to stay away from them. Just clicking on them might install malwares on your lovely system and your security might be compromised without you knowing about it. You might have seen a number of pop-ups which asks you to scan your PC online for errors. Never click on them. There are a heck lot of free, genuine anti-virus software out there, go try them!

4) Online banking and a public terminal..Caution needed!

Always check for any suspicious processes running in the background via task manager. These might be key loggers which are just waiting to jot down everything you type, or everything you click. Try using virtual keyboards which are now-a-days provided by almost every online banking website out there. Always delete the browser cache, the saved passwords and the browser history before leaving that public terminal.

5) Those glittering wallpapers and that too free…wow!

Make it a point, there’s always a price to pay for everything. In case of those smileys and fancy wallpapers, the price is a bit high indeed. Never download those nasty things as they are the ever-famous sources of malwares. If you are eager to get your hands on some delightful wallpaper, better try some trusted websites.

Read :- Top 7 Torrent Websites to Find Torrent Files

6) Be vigilant, be updated

There are a lot of software security suites out there, which offer complete desktop as well as online security. Try those stuffs. And most important of all, keep updating those stuffs from time to time since daily thousands of virus and malwares are released and so you should also be ready with the best possible defense you have.

Also Read: How to Find An Internet Provider the Actually Provides Quality Service

Happy Browsing!!

This Article is Contributed By Samira Rogers. she is a technical writer and blogger. She is passionate about laptops and gadgets and a keen lover of mobile technology. Most of her articles include topics like social media security, online security issues etc.