Who will you blame if
you wake up one day without a job and with no money on your bank card?
Yourself. That is if you don’t follow internet security tips. The global broker
OctaFX outlines the main do’s and dont’s of staying safe online.
With fraudsters
gaining internet ground every year and their schemes becoming more
sophisticated, it is not always easy to avoid getting hacked or scammed.
However, the global broker OctaFX knows how to protect your sensitive
information against theft. It will gladly share some of the most important
internet security tips. But first, a little story.
Meet Viraj. He is a
regular user of online stores. Some time ago, Viraj registered an account with
one such store. When registering, he used his work email address and the
password he used everywhere: Qwerty123. He made a purchase on the site using
his bank card, which he then added to his account.
Two weeks later, Viraj
decided to check his banking app, anticipating a new round of online shopping
in the evening. His salary had to be waiting for him in his account. To his
astonishment, the money was not there. Viraj was ready to start calling the
finance department of his company in his righteous anger when he checked the
history of his card transactions. His heart sank. There was a $500 purchase he
never made. Someone purchased a smartphone on the site he had registered with
two weeks ago. Moreover, the smartphone was already picked up from one of the
branches of the store in his city.
Viraj felt devastated,
to say the least. But that was only the beginning of his misfortunes. Suddenly,
his colleague came up to him and said, ‘Viraj, are you selling our customer
database on the internet? It’s your name there!’ Viraj only had time to mumble,
‘It’s not me,’ before he saw his boss standing in front of him, ready, it
seemed, to burn him with his stare. ‘You’re fired!’ was the last thing Viraj
heard before losing consciousness and… waking up.
‘Phew… It was just a
dream,’ Viraj said to himself. ‘But how could all this happen?’
Let’s analyse Viraj’s
case. The first thing he did wrong was registering
anywhere with his work email address. While some of us may be hard-working
to the point of mixing our life and work spaces, it is unprofessional and
dangerous to use your work email for personal use.
The second mistake Viraj
made was his password. It was just too easy to crack, as it was one of the
most common passwords in
the world. Viraj had to be much more creative when setting up a password, or
use a password generator. And
no, ‘Viraj123’ wouldn’t be any better. Something like ‘B{6{2BP2vG’ would be
excellent.
Another mistake was
that Viraj used the same password
everywhere. Even if you use a very complex password, someone might see it
on a note on your table or on the ‘saved passwords’ page on the computer you
used just once. If they use it, they might hack all your accounts at once.
The fourth mistake Viraj
made was adding his bank card to his
account in the store. Hackers used it to their advantage and got a
brand-new smartphone. The fact that it was the main bank card of Viraj made it
worse—it meant he had all his money on it.
We can assume that Viraj
made his final mistake when surfing the internet. He probably did it using an unsecured internet connection or just downloaded some malware, making it
easier for hackers to get into his accounts. Alternatively, considering his
very common password, it could be anyone who knew his email address, even the
competitors of the company he worked in.
So,
here are five security tips from OctaFX every internet user should take note
of:
●
Don’t use your work email
address for personal use. Preferably, use multiple personal email addresses.
●
Always use strong passwords.
Many strong passwords. Ideally, let each of your accounts have its own
password. Use password managers, such as KeePass, to
store your passwords.
●
Don’t save your bank cards
with any online store. When buying something on the internet, make sure the
site you are using is reliable and secure.
●
Don’t use public Wi-Fi or any
other public network when logging in to important accounts.
●
Don’t follow suspicious links
and don’t download attachments from suspicious emails that you have not seen
before.
After learning about
the tips above, Viraj knew how to protect himself against fraudsters and
hackers on the internet. Moreover, he helped his company implement important
security measures and got a promotion.
Stay safe when surfing
the internet and don’t forget your new passwords! Next time, we’ll explore the
world of online scams and phishing and how to identify them.
About
OctaFX
OctaFX
is a global broker providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It
offers everything one needs to reach their investment goals, providing
top-notch conditions utilised already by clients from over 150 countries
worldwide.
The company is
involved in a comprehensive network of charity and humanitarian initiatives,
including improvement of educational infrastructure, short-notice relief
projects, supporting local communities and small to medium enterprises.
On a side note, OctaFX
has also won more than 45 awards since its foundation, including the 2021 ‘Best
Forex Broker Asia’ award from Global Banking & Finance Review and 2021
‘Best ECN Broker’ award by World Finance.
