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The 19th annual celebration of Safer Internet Day is finally here – a day when all governments, entrepreneurs, schools, companies, and communities come together to emphasize how significant cyber safety really is.

With Covid-19 on the rise and most people working from home, the need for cybersecurity awareness is more essential than ever.

And it’s not just employees that require awareness, it’s literally everyone using the internet, banking online, shopping, and communicating with one another.

Since users have become the front-line defense for malicious actors, everyone should know how to identify cyber threats, including teenagers, children, and professionals.

This blog will fill you in with all the details of Safer Internet Day, how to stay secure online and safeguard your data from cyber attackers.

Why is Safer Internet Day Significant? What Tools are Available to Keep You Safe?

Safer Internet Day is celebrated every year and provides everyone with an opportunity to raise awareness against cyberbullying, protecting themselves digitally, and other security challenges of the internet.

Its annual celebration allows users – be it employees, children, parents, and organizations to talk about the latest security threats and discover new ways to secure yourself from malicious actors over the internet.

To learn more about this day, you can simply visit the event’s official Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn pages and follow the hashtags #SID2023 and #SaferInternetDay.

Practice Security Awareness Training This Safer Internet Day

For protecting yourself online, you need a few tactics. But first, you need to know all about what kind of cyberattacks exist in the world today.

Here are a few that are quite popular:

1. Ransomware: A form of malware that encrypts your device, making it impossible for users to access the files on that system/folder. Until you pay the demanded ransom.

2. Phishing: This type of malware lures you to click on a fake URL or download an infected file. Phishing attacks are quite popular and are projected to grow more in the future.

3. Spear Phishing: A tactic like phishing – spear phishing is a method in which cyber criminals pretend to be a trusted source and persuade targets to hand over their personal information.

4. Social Engineering: A method in which the attacker tries to manipulate you through email or texts to give up your private information.

5. Business Email Compromise (BEC): Also known as email account compromise (EAC), the cyber attackers in this method pretend to be a trusted email contact and fish out your personal details by tracking you.

Safe Internet Day – How to Observe It

Here are a few quicks tips on how to observe the Safer Internet Day:

1. Attend the conference:

Different organizations hold multiple conferences on this day. Previously, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google’s representatives have hosted conferences and panel sessions on this day.

ConnectSafely.org, a non-profit organization, also hosts a conference promoting internet awareness to a diverse audience every year.

2. Talk about safe cyber practices:

In case you can’t attend any conference, it’s completely fine. You can spend the day talking about how important internet safety is and what modern tactics do you think are significant for protecting yourself digitally.

3. Adopt some good internet habits yourself:

You think you know everything about the world wide web, but the truth is that even you might be lacking a lot of information. The motive of Safer Internet Day is to promote safety for young and adults alike. Therefore, we recommend going through their website, spending the day reading, and adopting many good habits.

5 Cybersecurity Awareness Tips to Secure Your Data in 2023

In a world where users are exposed to various threats online, protecting yourself isn’t that difficult. Here are a few tips you can use to protect yourself against cyberattackers in 2023:

1. Do not connect unfamiliar USBs to your PC

Attackers usually leave infected devices here and there to increase the chances of ransomware and malware threats. If you ever find a USB laying around in school, library, or office, do not connect it to your computer as it can infect your device with malware.

2. Go through all emails to avoid any red flags

Always read all your emails thoroughly and double-check the email address of the sender, URLs present in the email, and grammar. Avoid replying and clicking on any links if you find something fishy in the email. Read more about phishing attacks and make sure you don’t fall for one.

3. Visit HTTPS only websites

Websites having an HTTPS tag means that they have a security certificate. This means that the site is legitimate, and you shouldn’t be afraid of using it.

4. Avoid fulfilling requests of unknown senders

Do not respond to any messages or emails requesting you to confirm/update your credit card details, change your password, download a file, visit a website, etc., especially if the sender is unknown.

5. Trusted organizations do not ask for your personal information

Please note that if any government, tax, health, or police department leaves you texts or voicemails to share your personal details, do not do it. Anyone asking for your personal details is a scammer.

5 Questions That Can Protect Kids and Teens from Cybercriminals

if you have kids and teens around you who browse online, then you need to have a conversation with them about digital security and motivate them to ask the following questions:

1. Why was I sent this email?

Go through your email carefully and read between the lines. See what the sender is asking you to do. If the sender asks you to play a video, message on Instagram, or click on any link, be sure to avoid it.

2.   Who should be able to view my photos/videos?

Do not publicize your photos and videos. And do not send them to everyone. Be cautious about who you’re sending your media to, as some people might use it to bully, threaten, or shame you.

There have been multiple cases like these in the past, and women have especially been affected by this. Therefore, it’s always a good choice to go through an internet safety guide for women for cyber safety.

3. What is this DM asking from me?

Receiving a message that you’ve won a lottery may be exciting, but look at what you need to do before claiming the prize. If the individual asks you for your personal information or to download a link, please think before acting.

4. When should I share my personal details?

Do not provide any of your personal information online and to anyone. Also, make sure that you’ve enabled your privacy settings and your location is disabled. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for a hacker to steal your identity online.

5. How to respond to requests for meeting up or becoming friends?

Do not meet the people who contact you online. Cybercriminals impersonate someone else to cause you significant damage. Also, you should not accept any friend requests from people you do not know in real life.

5 Security Tips Especially for Seniors

Getting targeted with a cyberattack can be a daunting experience. If you have any seniors at home that actively use the internet, then you can share these cybersecurity tips with them:

1. Create strong passwords:

It’s easier to keep the same password for all your devices and accounts. But if a cybercriminal gets a hand on the password, then all your accounts can be hacked.

This is why you should always keep separate passwords for all your devices and accounts. Make sure your password is a combination of upper and lowercase letters, symbols, numbers, and more.

2. Keep all your devices updated with the latest software:

Ensure that you’re always using the latest version of the software on your device to avoid all vulnerabilities. Turn on automatic updates, so you do not need to check for software updates regularly.

3. Avoid all calls, emails, and texts that request your personal details:

Malicious actors impersonate public health departments and government organizations all the time to acquire your personal information, like address, location, credit card information, phone number, and more. Please note that no official body would ask for your personal information.

4. If requested for money, do not get tricked:

None of your friends or family members should contact you asking for money urgently. If anyone does, please note that you’re being tricked and end all contacts with them.

5. Read your emails carefully:

Scams are more likely to succeed during busy days, like the holidays, because you might skim through the message negligently and take action. Read every message you receive very carefully and avoid requesting your personal information.

Wrapping Up!

Safer Internet Day is literally an excuse to learn more about the internet and the prevailing cyberattacks in the world. You must know multiple cybersecurity facts and should learn how to take action against them.

Cyberattacks can be as small as an infected device and as massive as a complete data breach of organizations with ransoms in millions.

A significant way to know all about them and protect yourself digitally is through this day. It will also help you decide if you should take the proactive or reactive cybersecurity approach against attacks.

So, have fun, learn what you don’t know, and preach what you do. Happy Safer Internet Day to everyone!