Dubai
How can women navigate safely through a cyberspace filled with potential stalkers, hackers and bullies?
Gulf News spoke with an official source, who chose to remain anonymous, and shared some tips for staying safe when on the internet:
Keep passwords private and complicated – “When choosing a security question, go for something more difficult than ‘your mother’s maiden name’ or ‘year of birth’. Anyone can find your birth date from your social media profiles. Keep changing your passwords frequently, and never have the same one for all your accounts.”
Don’t leave your webcam connected – Whether on your laptop or phone, there are many apps capable of turning on the camera and slyly recording your movements without your knowledge or consent. So disable camera permissions and keep the camera lens covered when not in use.
Don’t share more than necessary – Socialite Kim Kardashian was criticised for flaunting her diamonds in her social media posts, as it later led to her being robbed of $10 million worth of jewellery. Internet security firm Norton advises on its website: “Stalkers can find ways to reach you with a simple photograph or status update. Disable geotagging in your camera. Enable it only when required. Any device with an enabled ‘location service’ poses the risk of exposing your exact location at any given time.”
Be careful when shopping online – Be alert to the kinds of information being collected to complete your transaction, and never store your credit card information on your browser. Our official source said: “Be careful of phishing sites, especially when shopping. For instance, you might think you have reached a store website, but pay attention to spelling errors, or design differences for clues – it can be a fake site that’s waiting for your credit card information. If the website address begins with ‘https’, it’s considered secure. Also look for certified safe payment platforms when checking out your shopping cart.”
Get savvy about WiFi hotspots – “It’s easy for hackers to create a hotspot in public areas, so if you’re connecting, make sure you’re accessing the right WiFi zone.” According to the US-based National Cyber Security Alliance website, it’s wise to limit the type of business conducted over open public WiFi connections, including logging onto accounts, such as email and banking apps.
Block people you don’t want to interact with – Trust your instinct and ignore, unfriend or block people you don’t know. “Privacy controls exist on most social networks – use them. Make sure you are not tagged in group photographs, because strangers have access to it.”
Don’t put off updating your software – Updates often contain important patches for dangerous security holes that cybercriminals could use to access your device.
