10 Internet Safety Tips for 2025
Cybersecurity risks have grown just as rapidly as technology has and online scam artists are always finding new ways to lower a system’s defenses. Ramping up your cybersecurity awareness means learning how to stay safe online, and it’s the best way to keep your personal information (and money) safe from scammers. Here are 10 helpful internet safety tips to help you form cyber-safe online habits.
- Don’t share any personal information through a device—not even to someone you think you know. Period. Scammers won’t just impersonate strangers. In fact, scammers often hack into someone’s account to send phishing links to unsuspecting friends and contacts.
- Never log on to sensitive sites on a public network. One of the easiest ways to ensure your safety on the internet is to refrain from checking highly sensitive information while out in public or on a public server.
- Hover over the URL to ensure it starts with https://. If you see https:// on a website URL, it means that all data and communication made within the site is encrypted and secure.
- Change Bluetooth settings to “Not Discoverable” or “Off.” Leaving Bluetooth running on your device may leave it vulnerable to hacks, abuse, or privacy violations. Most hackers will target devices that are within range and discoverable.
- Never log in from a link sent via messaging or email - go to the site’s direct page to log in and always ensure you're logging in through secure Wi-Fi.
- Update your device. Updating your device is another essential way to ensure its health & safety. Some devices are released with unknown risks that aren’t found until they’re on the market. These risks get evaluated and then fixed with updates.
- Use multi-factor authentication. It might be a bit annoying to get a text or answer a question every time you try to login, but it will keep your accounts much more secure than a simple password.
- Don’t reuse passwords. Reusing passwords means that if one account is hacked, others will be too. That turns what could be a small problem into an exponentially larger one.
- Be careful what you download. Scammers will try any phishing trick and clickbait tactic in the book to make you open a link and download harmful software.
- Create long passwords. Long passwords are better than short passwords no matter the complexity of the latter.
By following these tips, you can help ensure that your information, identity, and devices stay safe as you surf the web.
Glossary:
Phishing- the practice of using fraudulent e-mails and copies of legitimate websites to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft.
Clickbait- a sensationalized headline or piece of text on the internet designed to entice people to follow a link to an article on another web page.
Cybersecurity- precautions taken to guard against crime that involves the internet, especially unauthorized access to computer systems and data connected to the internet.
Encrypted- to change (digital data) into a form that cannot be read without converting it back using a unique key.
Multi-Factor Authorization- a process of establishing identity and verifying permission to access an electronic device or computer network that requires two different forms of authorization, such as a password and a fingerprint scan.
Resources:
https://fairmontfcu.banzai.org/wellness/resources/internet-safety-tips
