Cybersecurity: How to protect your data online

Basic needs can be fulfilled on the Internet: buying food, medicines, clothes, household goods, paying utility bills, ordering food from catering, renting premises, etc. At the same time, in 2024, cyber threats in Moldova have not gone anywhere, on the contrary, there is an increase in the manifestations of cyber fraud and cyber crime. What steps should be taken to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud? Let's go through them point by point.  

Create a strong password

A proven option is to create unique passwords for each web resource you use. If the same password is used on several Internet resources, it should be changed and a separate password should be created for each site. 

What should a strong password be? It should be easy to remember and difficult for fraudsters to decipher:

• words that are rarely used;
• combinations of lowercase and uppercase letters;
• atypical spelling of words;
• unique personalized sayings;
• non-standard numbers, dates, symbols, but do not use the symbol "$" instead of the letter "s" or the number "0" instead of the letter "o" - this is a common practice, which is known to fraudsters and is often used in password selection.

You need to periodically change passwords on different websites and social media accounts! 

Don't connect in public places to local WiFi, and if you need the internet urgently, use a VPN

When you connect to Wi-Fi in a public place, like a coffee shop, you're sharing a network with strangers. And if there are crooks on that network, they can intercept your data. Although the connection is now more secure thanks to the proliferation of the HTTPS protocol, a VPN service is still a good idea. With a VPN comes the connection to a virtual private network, and only then to the Internet as a whole - this gives an additional level of protection. But remember that a VPN will hide your IP address, but will not protect you from downloading a malicious file or going to phishing sites.

Configure two-step authentication

Two-step authentication is especially important for email (Google, iCloud), online banking pages and social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram). Make it for all services where it is available. To log in to your account, you will need to enter not only your password, but also a code that comes to your smartphone or email. It should be taken into account that the most common method of "send a code by SMS message" is no longer considered safe. There are cases when fraudsters spoofed the message delivery number. Therefore, it is better to apply a mobile authenticator application on your smartphone that will create codes. The most popular options are Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, etc.

Install an antivirus on your laptop or PC

The Windows 10 operating system has a built-in antivirus, Windows Defender, which is sufficient for the usual use of the Internet, but you should avoid dodgy sites. Don't forget about mobile devices. If you own an iPhone - congratulations, your data protection is top-notch. If you have an Android-based smartphone, install an antivirus application.

Install browser extensions that block adverts

Sometimes it is enough for fraudsters to lead the user to the site they want to collect their personal data. Therefore, you should install an extension in your browser, the so-called "anti-advertising blocker", which will protect you from viruses embedded in the link. But you should be careful, because, depending on their functions, extensions can give access to a huge amount of your data, in particular, the history of visits. So download the extension from the official browser shop, pay attention to the rating of the extension, the number of downloads and reviews.

Back up important files

If you are worried that crooks could break into your computer and steal or destroy important documents - back up to other storage devices with strong security (password protection).

Open attached files with caution

Antiviruses do not always detect the presence of viruses in files, so open such files with caution, or delete them immediately without opening them if the email comes from a dubious service or person. If you still need to open the file, save and open it via Google Drive.

Keep microphone devices away

Your smartphone is your personal spy. The programs that are installed on it can make audio recordings of your conversations using keywords in order to show you relevant advertisements in your newsfeed. Either way, there is no guarantee that these recordings will not be used by scammers. So if you need to discuss an important issue, take your gadget to another room.

Keep an eye on the webcam

You may be monitored via your webcam. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to it from time to time, if its indicator light is on. In your computer settings, disable access from other applications and give access only to trusted programs.

Think through your steps in your emails

Avoid revealing important information in your email address, and avoid situations where it is easy to identify yourself. For example, Ivan Ivanov, who was born in 1995, creates the email address ivanivanov95@mail.com. 

Do not send important documents via email if you can avoid it. But if you do have to send it, delete the email with important documents from your account (in your sent mail, outbox, cloud storage) after sending it.

Social media behavior

Social networks are a treasure trove of information on the Internet. From a social media page, a scammer can find out your personal information such as your location, age, place of work, holiday times, etc. Make sure you are familiar with all account privacy settings and put them into action. To protect yourself, post photos when you're already back from your holiday, rather than when you're on holiday. Make sure your selfies, photos and video content do not contain sensitive data.

Data security for online purchases 

Often each of us makes online orders and in order to facilitate this process, we store in the memory of our browser the data for logging in to the personal account of the shop, pay online, specify the delivery address, etc. All these data are at risk of being exposed by fraudsters. Therefore, do not allow your browser to memorize such data.

One of the most common types of online fraud is the creation of lookalike websites and bogus online shops. Unfamiliar or suspicious sites may offer products that are not actually available or use your personal data for fraud. Therefore:

• never leave your details on unfamiliar or suspicious websites; 
• before entering your personal data, make sure that you have entered the official web resource. 
• Beware of sellers offering goods at a very low price with partial or full prepayment, because this is one of the main signs of a fake online shop.

Afterword

So, cyber security in Moldova has transformed from a global consideration to a personal aspect, because each of us is present in the Internet space, even if we do not want to be. And as a consequence, our personal data are at risk, so we have to be more attentive and careful online than ever before.