As much as the internet gives to us, it takes quite a few things in return — mostly data about us and our online habits. And with this data, every part of the internet that we pass through develops an online persona/identity for us. This is the internet’s way of identifying us.
All your identities are connected, painting an overall picture of who you are online. With the right tools, a determined individual can use your identity on one platform to unlock your identity on other platforms. This necessitates a cross-platform strategy for protecting your online identity.
Here, we’ll cover the details of what constitutes an online identity and cover four ways to make sure that regardless of the platform, your identity is secure.
What is an online identity?
An online identity consists of any and all information that can be found about your habits on the internet, things as login credentials, online transactions, online search history, profile images, usernames and browser history. Your online persona is made up of your interactions with the internet. Since you interact with each website differently, every platform you use will have a different picture of who you are and what you do.
1. Invest in quality security software
Good security software, like Norton 360 with LifeLock, should provide you with advanced multi-layer security that would protect you and your devices from existing and emerging malware threats. It should also monitor your credit security while ensuring that you are notified when cybercriminals are attempting to access your webcam. A comprehensive plan like this sounds expensive, which is why getting a discount on Norton 360 with LifeLock is a great idea.
2. Use varied passwords
Obviously, you need strong and varied passwords. Ensure that all your passwords are a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. This makes your password harder to guess.
Use different passwords on different platforms; don’t give hackers a master key to your online identity. Note that “John” and “j0hn” are not different passwords. If you have difficulty remembering your passwords, write them down or use an online password manager.
3. Avoid clicking suspicious links
Sometimes hackers let the victim do the heavy lifting of bypassing his own security through phishing scams. These scams ask you to click a link, and when you do, the hacker gains access to your computer. Though some phishing schemes are obvious, others via e-mails, instant messages, social networking sites and web pages can appear to be authentic. So if you don’t know the sender, don’t click the link. Nine out of 10 times, it’s usually a scam.
4. Avoid unsecured websites
This is especially important if you buy things online often. Before entering your credit or debit card details on any website, make sure it is a secure website. The litmus test for checking if a website is secure is to see if it uses the HTTPS protocol instead of ordinary HTTP. An HTTPS protocol means the website carries an SSL certificate, providing an extra layer of security and scrutiny for all incoming and outgoing traffic.
Staying Safe on All Platforms
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A hacker does not need to hack your bank app, they just need to clone your favorite online shopping site, send the link to you in a fake promotional e-mail and steal your card details when you enter them on the fake site. That is a demonstration of how indirect attacks can be used to steal vital information and why you need to make sure that your online identity on every platform you use is strongly protected. By gaining access to one platform, they can gain access to all, so keep your passwords safe and varied and stay safe as you surf the internet.