October 1st marks the beginning of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is an internationally-recognized campaign first launched by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2004.
Here at FixMeStick, we love helping people stay safe and secure online so we will be sharing our cybersecurity tips throughout the month. This week, we will cover how to take cybersecurity into your own hands.
Check out our tips and information below about what deepfakes are, how you can manage your privacy settings, and how you can safely manage your smartphone applications like a cybersecurity pro.
DeepFakes and the Quality of Online Information
With so much information floating around the internet today, it’s hard to tell what is accurate. This is why you should not believe everything you read on the internet. You should only consider facts and articles that have been backed by solid research or come from a reputable source.
One trend to keep track of is the rise of deepfakes. This is a technique where computers using artificial intelligence are able to create convincing video and audio to impersonate other people. To see how well deepfake technologies work, try taking this deepfake quiz from CNN to see if you can spot the fake videos from the original.
Other ways you can validate the quality of the article or video you find online is to check the source. For example, is the online article published by a reputable news agency, an educational institution like a major university, or a trusted company or brand? If so, then chances are the article will have better quality information compared to other websites with unknown publishers.
Managing Privacy Settings on Websites and Social Media
In this digital age, more companies than ever are collecting your personal information. If you are not sure how this works, check out this interesting article about how Google first discovered the value of online surveillance.
Of course, you will always leave footprints of your activities online no matter what. But just like how you need to fasten your seat belt while your car is moving, it’s also important to take safety precautions while you’re surfing the internet.
If you find yourself going on social media quite often, consider taking the time to think about how much of your personal information you put online. If you do share a lot of your information to the public, consider changing some Facebook privacy settings to protect your account. For other social media platforms, click here to learn more about how to change those privacy settings too.
Best Practises for Smartphone Applications
With so many people having smartphones today, mobile security has also become increasingly important. In fact, your mobile device can be just as vulnerable, if not more than your computer.
If the proper security measures aren’t taken, then your sensitive information could end up in the wrong hands. Check out our blog for 5 ways you can secure your mobile device.
Another issue to keep in mind is the rise of fake applications made to trick smartphone users. These applications are designed to look like legitimate and useful applications, but may actually harm your device or steal your data. Read our blog article about these fake smartphone applications for more information.
What else can you do to stay safe online?
We recommend NordVPN to keep your internet browsing experience private. Imagine a VPN as a hack-proof, encrypted tunnel for your online traffic to flow. Nobody can see through the tunnel and get their hands on your internet data. NordVPN gives you peace of mind each time you use the internet. Try it today with our exclusive discount!
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