News
Keep Your Information Secure Online
By: Bianca Hillier
Posted on:
In the wake of a celebrity photo scandal, the issue of phone safety now has people on high alert.
From social media to bank accounts and everything in between, all internet users are at risk of being hacked and violated against their will.
This leaves people not only feeling vulnerable but also defenseless, as many feel they don't know the first thing about protecting their information.
"I feel rather helpless, really," Ohio University senior Roy Reinstein says. "I don't really know what I can do. I feel a real lack of information."
Graduate student Shermineh Davari agrees, pointing out that "people are just normal people. Not everybody is an expert in computer science… [the software companies] should definitely provide you with the information you need to protect yourself and have your privacy."
Even once you install security software onto your devices and set up your privacy settings on your accounts, your information is still as risk of being hacked.
"It's not really a threat, it's a fact," Reinstein says. "If you want, you can find information out about anyone."
Despite the seemingly omnipresent threat, there are some ways to better protect your information.
"I don't use the same passwords twice and I'm really careful about where I put my email so that I don't get all the spam," Ohio University junior Nick Post says.
Ohio University IT Communications Manager Sean O' Malley says your best protection from hackers is to follow basic safe computing practices.
O'Malley says using strong passwords, keeping your apps and operating systems up to date and using anti-virus software will all help fight off the hackers.
He said the key to a strong password is using at least 8 characters, including upper case letters, number and symbols and straying from words found in a dictionary.
Following these guidelines and being aware of suspicious activity will help keep you and your information where it should be.