What Can You Be Doing Better to Stay Protected Online?

All your most personal and important information is stored on the web in some shape or form. Most of your daily interactions, communications and transactions are also conducted in the online sphere. This means that all of that stuff is potentially available for others to see. How can you maintain your privacy on the internet?

Network Security

Your computer takes on a lot of risk when it connects to a public network. However, these connections are often unavoidable, such as when staying at a hotel, visiting a coffee shop or traveling through an airport. One way to protect yourself is to bring a private network with you wherever you go, virtually. A virtual private network, or VPN, can use a public internet connection to create a private network. This essentially creates a bubble around your connection- your IP address is concealed and all of your traffic is encrypted. A VPN even hides all of your data from the internet service provider, so it's not a bad idea to use one at home, either.

Firewalls

Your computer can be vulnerable to outside influences no matter where you are connected, especially if you connect directly to your broadband modem. A cyber kill chain is what's used to model the typical cyber attack procedure: recon, weaponize, delivery, exploit, install, callback and persist. It's in your best interest to block this chain of action before it has a chance to get started, and that is most easily done with a firewall, which acts as a locked door that can only be opened with the correct key. Firewalls assign individual IP addresses to every device connected to the network, which are only visible within the network itself. If you use WiFi to go online, your router most likely has a built-in firewall. You can add more "locked doors" by adding an additional layer of firewall on your individual devices, which can be downloaded as software. This is an especially good idea if you frequently connect to public WiFi.

Browsing

Security measures don't end at your point of connection. While browsing, cookies and other trackers collect all sorts of data about you in order to direct targeted ads and provide information to companies so they can boost utility and profits. There are browsers and search engines outside of their scope that allow you to browse without being tracked. One good alternative to Google or Bing is a search engine called Duck Duck Go. It doesn't track you or store your data, so there isn't even a search history.

You can take this a step further by choosing an anonymous browser so that none of your online activity is tracked, saved or sent to anyone. The Tor browser is free to download and makes your browsing experience completely and totally private. However, this means that none of your passwords will automatically fill in, and you won't be able to bookmark anything.

Operating System

One way to take your online privacy to the next level is to change your entire operating system, which is something you should only attempt if you are computer literate. Your OS is what manages your PC's hardware and software and provides a graphic interface that allows you to interact with them. Most people keep the OS that comes with their computer, which is usually set up to report back to the manufacturer certain data about your activity and use. To avoid this, you can switch to a Linux-based open source OS, created and maintained by a collective of people online and free to the public. One popular incognito OS is called Tails. 

There are many ways to go about protecting yourself online, so it's okay to take it slow and go one step at a time. It's a good idea to educate yourself on how the internet works in any case. Feel free to reach out to IT professionals for help when you need it so you don't accidentally mess anything up.