Part of being a good citizen in a digital world is being aware of the threats that you might face when you’re online, and taking measures to deal with them. Canadians face a range of digital risks – but surprisingly few of them have adopted the technologies and habits that might allow those risks to be mitigated. So, what can the average internet user do?
Recognize Common Online Threats in Canada
The first and arguably most important step should be to recognize the most prevalent kinds of risk.
For most attackers, human beings represent the point of greatest vulnerability in any given network. It’s much easier to target a person with a phishing message, or a texting scam, than it is to directly compromise the hardware or software upon which a network is built.
Threat patterns, of course, are continually evolving. This much can be seen from the stream of new advisories and alerts issued by the federal authorities. Make sure that you pay attention to this information, and that you act accordingly.
Strengthen Your Passwords and Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
The passwords you choose should be strong, unique, and memorable. Unfortunately, these objectives tend to run in opposite directions for many users. Passwords that are difficult to guess often turn out to be difficult to remember.
The solution comes in the form of password managers. These can be used to compose strong passwords, and to store them in a central location from which they can be automatically retrieved.
Especially sensitive logins, like banks and email accounts, might be protected through additional layers of security. The use of multi-factor authentication might significantly lower the likelihood of an account being compromised.
Use Secure Connections and Protect Your Data on Public Wi-Fi
If you aren’t sending your data via a secure connection, then that data might be used by any third party that intercepts it. It’s largely for this reason that the HTTPS protocol has become ubiquitous on the modern internet.
If you’re logging on to a public wifi network in a café, airport lounge, or hotel, then the risk might be even greater. A free VPN for Android is one of many measures you might deploy to protect yourself.
Keep Software and Devices Up to Date
Software is never really complete. Ingenious hackers are constantly finding vulnerabilities, and developers face a constant race to discover and address these vulnerabilities via software patches. If you don’t download and install the patches, however, you’ll remain vulnerable.
Make sure that you set up automatic updates, especially for system-critical software like antivirus software and Operating Systems. This is something that’s often set up for you by default – but it doesn’t hurt to check that you really are covered.
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