11 Best Tips for How to Protect Yourself Online!

Are you concerned with how to protect yourself online?

If you are, you're not alone! A Pew Research study found that most Americans are concerned about their online safety. But don't worry – there are plenty of things you can do to protect yourself.

This article will outline 11 of the best ways to protect yourself online. Following these tips makes it much more difficult for hackers and other cybercriminals to steal your data or invade your privacy.

So what are you waiting for? Keep reading to learn more about how to protect yourself online!

11 Tips for Online Safety

1. Use Strong Passwords

Passwords are one of the most important ways to protect yourself online. They are your first line of defense against anyone who wants to gain access to your accounts. Make sure to use strong passwords that are difficult to guess.

A strong password should be at least ten characters long and include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using easily guessed words like your name, birthday, or favorite sports team.

Don't reuse the same password across multiple accounts.

While it took me a while to get used to a password manager, I use LastPass and love it. LastPass allows me to manage my online accounts and change default passwords to complex passwords and generate new passwords on the fly.

LastPass is an excellent piece of security software and a secure way to manage access to your social media accounts through mobile devices and your own computer.

It's also a great way to log into any website address easily and with little effort.

2. Know How to Check if an App is Safe

It's essential to be aware of how to check if an app is safe before downloading it to your mobile device or computer.

Many malicious apps can steal your personal information or damage your device, so it's crucial to be vigilant. There are a few ways to check if an app is safe before downloading it.

Verified.org states that Google and Apple offer "5.7 million apps for users but not all are secure."

That same Verified.org article goes on to state the following steps when checking if an app is safe:

Learn how to check if an app is safe to download before installing it by looking for the following red flags in the app store:

App Name & Developer: Notice the app’s name and its developer. Look carefully at both and notice any abnormalities such as weird spacing or asterisks that don’t match up with other apps from the developer.

Version History: Near the bottom of an app listing is its detailed Version History showing what updates were made to the app. If this is missing, or only includes vague information, this could be a warning sign.

App Description: Every app comes with a description allowing users to understand its features and how to use it. Beware of any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes within the description, this could be a sign that it is a scam. Or, if the description seems too broad or general, it may be a fake.

The Numbers: While it may not always be the case, especially with newly released apps, looking at the numbers of downloads and reviews can be helpful in determining the legitimacy of the app. Popular apps tend to have millions or billions of downloads and reviews. Those with significantly lower numbers may be imposters.

Keywords: Developers will sometimes use keywords within the description for search results. However, if the information seems stuffed with keywords that don’t flow naturally, you may be dealing with an unsafe app.

In-app purchases: It's helpful to review the in-app purchase options (if any), to read the description.