Posted on: Apr 18, 2022 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

8 Things You Don't Want To Do Online

8 Things You Don't Want To Do Online

Everyone makes mistakes. Whether it’s leaving a coffee cup on the bed or putting your hand near fire, silly mistakes happen. We’ve all got one of those embarrassing stories that make us shake our heads and laugh about it later. Usually, we forget about these minor incidents a few hours afterwards. But what happens when your mistake goes online?

Even though your internet usage is mostly safe, it is best to be vigilant about your online activities and protection. It is advisable to get cyber insurance for online crimes as the consequences are high and can cause serious damages that cannot be covered by your regular insurance. Do not let cyber risks hurt your finances or peace of mind.

Here are 8 things that you should never do online.

1. Be gullible when it comes to sharing posts online:

Have you ever found something so shocking that you just had to share it on your social media feed, or with a group of people? What if you got it wrong? In today’s digital world, we share things far more quickly and easily than we used to — and sometimes, too easily. It's difficult to identify a hoax from a real one, but if you discover anything unexpected online, do a fast Google search before believing and sharing it on your social media accounts. You could spare yourself a great deal of shame, and the pranksters will have less motive to trick people online.

2. Forego enabling two-factor authentication on your accounts:

Don't be fooled by the fancy moniker "two-factor authentication." It simply means that in order to sign in to your online account, you must provide two means of identification. It's the same as a bank requesting two kinds of verification. Two-factor authentication is available from the majority of major services and corporations, including Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple, and others.

3. Utilise the identical password across numerous sites:

It is crazy to see people use simple, basic passwords for all the sites they visit. When you rely on the same password for everything, you open yourself up to hacking or loss of security. Not okay! Those days of using your dog’s name or a silly variation as your password are long gone. These days, threats are much bigger than your “123456789” can handle. And with the rise of hacks, you need a different password for every site. But how can you manage so many different passwords? Use a unique password for each site but one base code in each of them to save all those random characters in your brain.

4. Make sure your social media profiles are in sync:

It's challenging to keep track of all your online accounts. However, there are services available that allow you to handle your online activity across many platforms from a single interface. Unfortunately, some people make the mistake of syncing all of their accounts together. This way, if any one of your online accounts gets hacked or compromised in some way, chances are all your synced accounts will be gone as well. Don't go that route. Instead, use the privacy features offered by each network and avoid linking them altogether!

5. Exchange excessive amounts of information online:

It's fun to share videos on social media and feel like you're connecting with others. These sites can give you an amazing sense of connection with faraway friends and family members, no matter how different your lives might be. But you also want to be careful what you share. If you post too much private information about yourself or your family, you could worry about being stalked down the road. Be careful what you post online.

6. Utilise public unsecured Wi-Fi without much thinking:

Hackers create their own fraudulent public Wi-Fi network with a deceptive name. When a user logs in, his or her keystrokes are captured and seized in order to gather personal details. Spyware may also be delivered to a person's computer masquerading as an update. After installing the virus, the hackers acquire complete access to the computer system without the user's awareness. That is why you should utilise a VPN, or virtual private network when using unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

7. Participate in social media arguments:

Many of us have come across a meme on Twitter or Facebook that is horrid and mean. Or someone gives you a forwarded text that appears to be completely incorrect. Or a troll posts a slew of venomous remarks. What are you going to do? You're ready to type a reply or response message but pause for a moment. Social media is really a high-wire performance, and the majority of disagreements end in disaster. If you need to debate over something, it is strongly advised to speak with the person over the phone rather than commenting publicly on social media.

8. Post indecent images on the internet:

Sexualised internet content is frequently shared with a particular audience in mind. However, it is sometimes unleashed into the internet as a consequence of rash, reckless publishing. There are often cases of a compromising picture sent to a "friend," only for that individual to post it with a far broader audience. And, obviously, once something is out there on the internet, it is stuck on the web forever.

Conclusion:

You might not think that your chances of being targeted by cybercriminals are that likely, but cybercrime is a growing concern, no matter how small your risk. So you should know about this cover and consider taking out this affordable insurance policy for protecting you from cyber espionage, cyber terrorism and cyber fraud. Your identity, credentials and personal information is all valuable data for cybercriminals to steal and cyber insurance policies can help protect you from the damage identity theft may cause. Cyber insurance will not be a one-time investment as cybercrimes continue to develop and evolve with technology. Cybercriminals employ new techniques and tools every day, so protecting your company with cyber insurance is a must.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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