02 Aug 2022
Are you frightened that the IRS will discover your personal information when documenting charges on the internet? Or do you fear that the DMV will leak all your personal data? That is not unusual; it is normal.
A rough estimate indicates that around 800,000 people face online data hacking attempts every year. It reflects that significant level penetrations can happen, and you might fear that there is no way to prevent them.
However, you can stay safe with your internet-based day-to-day activities by adopting security measures. For instance, if you are an expat residing in a foreign country and choose to send money online to your family back home, you must follow the security protocols set by your service provider.
Making your electronics, online identity, data and information such as secret credentials, and online needs like money transfers, etc., more secure doesn't take much effort. Indeed, some suggestions for staying safe online boil down to nothing more than common sense. If you use a browser, get the best security extension for it to stay safe online. Besides, the following tips will help keep your data protected.
An updated and active antivirus program protects you against actual computer viruses. Ransomware encrypts your files and demands money to decrypt them. Trojan horse programs appear legitimate, but they steal your personal information behind the scenes.
Bots turn your computer into a zombie army soldier, ready to launch a denial-of-service attack, send spam, or do whatever the bot herder commands. For example, if you make an online money transfer to Pakistan from your computer, hackers can intercept it and cause you to lose money. An effective antivirus program protects against these and other types of malware.
Many excellent apps and settings aid in protecting your devices and identity, but they are only helpful if you know well how to use them correctly. To get the most out of these tools, you must first understand their features and settings.
For example, your smartphone has a feature that allows you to locate it if it is misplaced, and you may have even activated it. But have you actively tried it out to know how to use it if necessary?
Check your detection settings to ensure they are set to block these annoyances. Similarly, your security suite may contain inactive components until you activate them. When installing a new security product, go through all the main window pages and glance at the settings.
Getting a batch of username and password combinations from one source and trying those same combinations elsewhere is one of the simplest ways for hackers to steal information. Assume hackers obtained your username and password by hacking an email provider.
They may attempt to access banking websites or major online retailers using the same username and password combination. Using a strong and unique password for each online account is the most effective strategy to prevent a chain reaction from a single data breach.
For example, if you have an ACE Money Transfer account to send money to Pakistan online, choose a strong and unique password to protect it from being stolen. Unique and unbreakable passwords never let any hacker attempt to steal your information and misuse it further.
When connecting to the internet via a public Wi-Fi network, you should use a virtual private network or VPN. Assume you go to a coffee shop and connect to a public Wi-Fi network. You have no idea about the security of that connection.
Someone else on that network could start looking through or stealing the files and data sent from your laptop or mobile device. The hotspot owner could be a thief, sniffing out secrets from all Wi-Fi connections.
A VPN can encrypt your internet traffic and route it through a company-owned server. That means that no one, not even the owner of the free Wi-Fi network, has access to your data.
Two-factor authentication is inconvenient, but it significantly increases the security of your accounts. To gain access to your accounts, you must first pass another layer of authentication to your username and password.
If an account's data or personal information is sensitive or valuable, you should enable two-factor authentication if the account supports it. Online services that provide two-factor authentication include Gmail, Evernote, and Dropbox. Also, use two-factor authentication on the accounts from which you send money to Pakistan.
Use a passcode lock whenever possible, even if it is optional. Consider all of the personal information and connections on your smartphone. It is unthinkable to go without a passcode lock. Many smartphones come standard with a four-digit PIN.
Most browsers feature a built-in password management option for what your browser knows about you. Password security is best left to the professionals who design password managers.
Think about it. A third-party password manager will typically offer to import your password from the browser's cache when you install it. If a password manager can accomplish that, malicious software certainly can.
Furthermore, storing your passwords in a centralised password manager allows you to use them across all browsers and devices. Don't save your bank account passwords as well.
The credit card system is out of date and not very secure. That is not your fault, but you can do something about it. Instead of pulling out your credit card, use Apple Pay or an Android equivalent. When it comes to apps, there are numerous options. The international money transfer mobile app from ACE is a safe and the best way to send money to Pakistan or any other country from abroad.
Never underestimate the amount of information your browser's cache has on you. The Cookies, saved searches, and Web history could all point to a person's home address, family information, and other personal information.
Clear browser cookies and your browser history regularly to better protect the information that may be lying in your browser history.
To keep their online identities separate, organised, and systematic, people frequently use various email addresses for different purposes. When a phishing email pretending to be from your bank arrives on your social network account, you know it's a fake.
Consider keeping a separate email address to sign up for apps you want to try but may have questionable security or spam promotional messages. For example, use a different email to send money to Pakistan from the UK and another email address for the bank account you created.
An adage goes like this: if you're not paying for a service, you're not a customer; you're the product. Social media sites simplify sharing your thoughts and photos with friends, but it's easy to overshare.
You can download your Facebook data to see what information the social media giant has on file. It could be shocking, especially if you're the person who regularly clicks on quizzes that require access to your social media account.
Being careful about what you click is essential for keeping your online life secure. Clickbait is more than just cat videos with catchy headlines. Links from email, messaging apps, and Facebook can also be included. Phishing links disguise themselves as secure websites to provide your credentials.
Drive-by download URLs might infect your device by automatically downloading malware. Choose your software applications sensibly to manage different internet-based activities, one of which is your money transfer need which is the most critical.
Staying safe online can be difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Hopefully, you now understand protecting yourself from online predators or scams.
In all ways, you should be active and concerned about your security. But when it comes to money transfers, you should be more cautious. Check all the secure services on how to send money to Pakistan or elsewhere. ACE Money Transfers can indeed provide you with seamless and safe transfers.
