The theft of data and personal information is one of the biggest problems we face on the web. Hackers can use different methods to attack. However, the truth is that in most cases they will need us to make a mistake. For this reason, in this article we are going to talk about the 5 main errors that can compromise our data and that we should avoid.
Bugs that compromise privacy
If they steal our data, it means that they can impersonate the identity , they can have an easier time entering our accounts or simply sell that information to third parties. Keep in mind that personal data has a great value on the network, so it is one of the objectives of cybercriminals.
give too much information
One of the most common mistakes, and sometimes we are not aware of it, is to expose more information than we should. For example, putting personal data on open social networks, in services that we use on the Internet, forums, comments on web pages… A clear example is putting the e-mail address somewhere where it can be seen or putting information publicly on Facebook .
We would not only have problems if someone reaches that information and can collect it, but also because of the Internet bots that are responsible for recording all that data automatically. For this reason, it is important not to make public personal data that could compromise us.
Not protecting accounts
Another very common mistake is not properly protecting the accounts. For example social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, email or any other record that we have where we must log in. If we don’t protect them well, an intruder could get in and read personal information.
But here we are not only talking about putting a bad password, but we must also talk about two-step authentication . It is a very good extra security measure, but many users do not take it into account and it can really be the solution to avoid computer attacks. For example you can use 2FA for Facebook.
Registrations on doubtful sites
We must also be careful with the sites where we register . Not all of them are going to be safe and that data that we put, that password that we create, could be compromised and end up in the wrong hands, which could be used to impersonate our identity.
If you are going to register on a platform where you have doubts, where you do not really know how your data will be treated, our advice is to use an alternative email. For example you could use a disposable e-mail. This way you avoid compromising the personal account.
Use unofficial apps
An error that can be very dangerous is to use software that is not official . It is true that sometimes we can install applications for mail or social networks that have certain additional functions, but they are not really official programs. That can be a problem and expose the data.
The advice is always to install applications only from legitimate and official sources. For example official stores, such as Chrome extensions or Android applications. But also use the official web pages of those applications and where we do not run the risk that they have been modified maliciously.
Have outdated equipment
The fact of having outdated systems is another of those errors that can expose our personal data. Vulnerabilities can appear that are exploited by hackers and get to steal passwords or have full access to the device to do what they want.
We can avoid this if we always keep the equipment correctly updated. It does not matter if we use Windows or any other operating system. Always have all available patches and any updates that may come out.