Kaspersky's experts have put together a list of 10 bad digital habits that threaten your online privacy and that, if we are not careful, can turn our digital lives into a genuine horror story.
In the run-up to All Saints' Day, while tradition remembers the departed, thousands of Latin Americans join the American tradition of celebrating Halloween, with all its atmosphere of horror and fear. But Halloween night is not the only thing that can be terrifying; our bad digital habits can turn any day into a real nightmare.
Ignoring cybersecurity recommendations and advice in order to take a quiz on social media, take advantage of retail offers or simply get online may look like harmless actions, but they are lethal for our digital lives, putting our information and our privacy at risk.
Kaspersky's experts have drawn up a list of 10 bad digital habits that can turn your online security into a horror movie. If you identify with more than half of them, we suggest you reconsider them or you will be facing an eternal Halloween.
10 terrifying habits that compromise your online security
\1. Staying logged in on your mobile devices so you do not have to enter your credentials every time. You may well be part of the 82% of Latin Americans who do this.
\2. Handing over personal data in exchange for discounts at stores (something 39% of Latin Americans have done) or sharing your social media profile to get online deals (68% have felt comfortable doing so).
\3. Not reading an app's download terms before accepting them. If you are one of the people who do read them, congratulations. You are part of the 36% of Latin Americans who protect themselves.
\4. Not keeping a backup of your information in the cloud or on an external drive in case you lose one of your devices. This affects the 24% of Latin Americans who have no backups.
\5. Not having a security app installed on your phone. Unfortunately, 43% of Latin Americans do not have one.
\6. Shopping online without checking that the site's URL is secure. Only 29% of Latin Americans admit that they check whether a page is legitimate merely "sometimes."
\7. Sending or posting intimate photos to people you know. Be careful that your private life does not go viral. 30% of Latin Americans have shared this type of content.
\8. Always posting about the places you are in, turning on the location option in your posts. 28% of users in Latin America believe it is necessary to share their whereabouts with all of their friends and followers.
\9. Checking your social media on your work computer without a second thought because you spend most of the day on the job. We caught you, didn't we? 39% of Latin Americans do it.
\10. Sharing sensitive private data to get money, or giving your device password to a stranger so they can look through it for 15 minutes in exchange for $20,000. 28% of Latin Americans would do it.
Did you recognize yourself in many of these terrifying practices?
Even though sharing personal information may feel unavoidable in today's digital world, we can adopt security habits that keep our privacy out of harm's way.
So that you do not have to worry about your privacy on All Saints' Day, Kaspersky suggests taking these protective measures, which will help you avoid a life of "horror":
- Be mindful of the personal data you share online. Any information you post on social media and other digital platforms can fall into the wrong hands or be used to grant or deny you access to a service in the future.
- Always delete your account and your history when you stop using an app or online service.
- Check which services are connected to your accounts and who has access to them. You can use Kaspersky's Privacy Checker to review and adjust privacy settings on online services and stay in control of your personal data.
- For complete protection against a range of threats, use a security solution such as Kaspersky Security Cloud. It also includes several features to protect your privacy, such as an online behavior tracking blocker.
To keep our privacy online and protect ourselves from potential digital threats, it is critical to be aware of these 10 terrifying habits that compromise your online security. Adopting better security practices and following expert recommendations will not only help us avoid a digital life of "horror," it will also ensure that our personal information stays safe and protected. Take action today and strengthen your cybersecurity.
For more details on how to keep your privacy online, I recommend keeping an eye on our posts on our blog.
