6 ways to protect your personal information online

• Create strong passwords. …
• Don’t overshare on social media. …
• Use free wi-fi with caution. …
• Watch out for links and attachments. …
• Check to see if the site is secure. …
• Consider additional protection.

It’s hard to go a few days of scanning the news without hearing about a major data breach, potentially exposing millions of customers’ personal data to criminals. Here are a few tips to ensure your personal information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands
Create strong passwords

When creating a password, think beyond words or numbers that a cybercriminal could easily figure out, like your birthday. Choose combinations of lower and upper-case letters, numbers, and symbols and change them periodically. It’s also better to create a unique password instead of using the same password across multiple sites—a password manager tool can help you keep track.

Don’t overshare on social media

We all have that one friend who posts too many intimate details of their life online. Not only can this be annoying, but it can also put your personal information at risk. Check your privacy settings so you are aware of who’s seeing your posts, and be cautious when posting your location, hometown, birthday, or other personal details.

Use free wi-fi with caution

A little online shopping never hurt anyone…or did it? Most free public Wi-Fi networks have very few security measures in place, which means others using the same network could easily access your activity. You should wait until you’re at home or on a secure, password-protected network before whipping out that credit card.

Watch out for links and attachments

Cybercriminals are sneaky, and will often compose their phishing scams to look like legitimate communications from a bank, utility company, or other corporate entity. Certain things like spelling errors or a different email address than the typical sender can be a clue that the email is spam.

Check to see if the site is secure

Before entering personal information into a website, take a look at the top of your browser. If there is a lock symbol and the URL begins with “https,” that means the site is secure. There are a few other ways to determine if the site is trustworthy, such as a website privacy policy, contact information, or a “verified secure” seal.

Consider additional protection

Install anti-virus software, anti-spyware software, and a firewall. For additional protection, you may want to consider cyber insurance, which can keep you and your family safe if you fall victim to a cyberattack. At Chubb, our experts are ready to evaluate your cyber vulnerabilities, help cover fraudulent charges, and ensure your family has the resources you need to recover emotionally, too.

How to secure your Social Media accounts 

• Be Social. Be Secure.
• Use two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security.
• Understanding your digital footprint
• Social media phishing
• Social media and children

Be Social. Be Secure

Social media accounts are powerful tools and a great way to stay in touch with family and friends and keep up to date on the latest news. However, it’s important to know how to manage the security and privacy settings on your accounts, so that your personal information remains inaccessible to anyone but you, and your accounts don’t fall into the wrong hands.

Use two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security

Two-factor authentication (often shortened to 2FA) provides a way of ‘double-checking’ that you really are the person you are claiming to be when you’re logging in and using online services, such as social media.  Even if a criminal (or someone simply looking to cause mischief) knows your password, they won’t be able to access any of your accounts that are protected using 2FA.

Search online for instructions on how to set up 2FA for popular online services such as Instagram, Gmail, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook

Understanding your digital footprint

It’s worth exercising some caution when using social media. Not everyone using social media is necessarily who they say they are. Take a moment to check if you know the person, and if the friend/link/follow is genuine. 

Less obviously, you should think about your digital footprint, which is a term used to describe the entirety of the information that you post online, including photos and status updates. Criminals can use this publicly available information to steal your identity or use it to make phishing messages more convincing. You should

• Think about what you’re posting, and who has access to it. Have you configured the privacy options so that it’s only accessible to the people you want to see it?
• Consider what your followers and friends need to know, and what detail is unnecessary (but could be useful for criminals).
• Have an idea about what your friends, colleagues or other contacts say about you online.

Social media phishing

Phishing is when cyber criminals attempt to get unsuspecting users to do ‘the wrong thing’, such as clicking a dangerous or fraudulent link that will download malicious software or direct them to a website that requires them to enter personal details.

Social media is a favourite method used by cyber criminals for phishing. With over 1.3 billion people logging on to their favourite social media accounts every month, and the trust that many have in the wider community of users, social media phishing represents a rich source of income for fraudsters.

Social media and children

Most social media accounts require users to be at least 13 years old. However, it is easy to sign-up with a false date of birth. For expert advice about how to keep children safe online