What Is Data Security?

Today our personal information is found on many platforms, and sometimes it is normal to feel fear about where the data may end up. We put full trust in technology, but sometimes it is difficult for some to ensure our data is protected. For this reason, we explain what factors you should take into account to protect your data.

Why is data security-relevant?

We could define data security as the practice of protecting digital information from unauthorized access, corruption, or theft throughout its life cycle. Within this type of security, we will focus on the one that may concern us the most at an individual level: Internet security. This could be explained as the branch of computer security dedicated to identifying and preventing all threats that affect the network of networks. We use the Internet to exchange information, and therefore if we are not careful, this information may be at risk.

Among the most common dangers that affect users and web pages we find data theft (banking, personal, etc.), viruses, phishing (identity theft), spam, etc.

What should we take into account before entering data?

We show you the keys to quickly finding out if a web page is safe:

1. Check the domain of the website: The purpose of a domain is to help users find a website. It is the unique name that a website receives on the Internet. This name identifies a specific web page without more than one website with the same name. By changing a letter or number in a domain, they can direct you to an illegitimate site where you could be a victim of phishing. We recommend that you carefully examine the pages you enter, especially if they are websites where you must enter important information.

2. Browser security: There is a small padlock next to the URL depending on the browser (although they all usually have it). If the padlock is closed, it is a sign that the website is secure and you can browse freely. Otherwise, if it is open, it is not secure. However, apart from the available lock, the browser usually stipulates verbatim that the web page is not secure. If we click on the padlock, it will tell us if the web is secure or not. In addition, certain websites have an SSL certificate, which means that the URL of the website will have an HTTPS instead of an HTTP.

Also Read: Security Features In The IoT In 2022

3. Web security tools: Another way to avoid scams would be to use alternatives to block pop-ups, stop unwanted downloads, and prevent tracking. To avoid internet fraud, we recommend that you access the following routes depending on the browser you use:

• Google Chrome: Settings> Advanced settings> Privacy and security
• Apple Safari: Preferences > Security and preferences > Privacy
• Mozilla Firefox: Options > Privacy and security
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Advanced Settings

4. Check the encryption: We must check if the URL begins with HTTP or HTTPS to check this aspect. It is very important to consider whether the page is encrypted because if you send personal data and the site is not correctly encrypted, someone unknown may have access to this information and therefore commit fraud.

How to know if a website is reliable to enter our bank accounts?

Another important aspect to avoid scams is to consider the security of the web pages where product exchanges take place. During the Covid-19 pandemic, online consumers increased by 67% more in 2021 than 2022. Those who have increased online spending the most are those of the “baby boom” generation (born between 1946 and 1964) that is, For this reason, parallel to this growth in online sales, fraud has also increased. Therefore, we leave you some tips to avoid falling into these deceptions:

• Payment methods: reliable pages usually allow you to pay by bank card and other platforms such as PayPal. If they want to scam you on any website, it is most likely that they will make you make a bank transfer to an account that is not even in our country.
• Google Opinions: The Internet gives us everything; it’s important to know how to get the most out of it. Every time you want to buy a product through a little-known website, you can search for reviews and read the opinions of other users.
• Rechargeable cards: we advise you to use rechargeable cards, which contain the amount that we will spend. If they decide to scam you, it is always better that they steal a small amount than not all of our savings.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi networks: when shopping online, it is important to do so from secure networks. Any advice would be, for example, not to make purchases from the public network of a metro station since we do not know if the network has been designed to steal information and bank details.
• Phishing: surely, more than one has received emails from banking entities or SMS requesting personal data and passwords to access bank accounts. Also, through WhatsApp, many scams have been detected in which they make you “click” on a link to ask you for information. To avoid phishing, we recommend keeping up to date with the communications from the Police in charge of investigating these cases, and if in doubt, call the bank to confirm if the email or SMS sent was from them.

As we have already mentioned, fraud and scams have also increased due to the growth of purchase transactions made online. According to reports, cybercrime is growing by 40%; it is a major problem since only 5% of cybercriminals are arrested. In addition, no other criminal modality has experienced such growth. Technology can be very positive for users and those who want to do evil, so before entering any personal data, it is important to consider the advice explained above.

Also Read: Cybersecurity In 2022 | Trends And Threats