5 Ways to Promote Internet Safety

Did you know that the average American spends 5-6 hours online every day?

Whether it be protecting sensitive information or simply keeping kids from viewing inappropriate content, internet safety is a far-reaching topic in today’s society. To encourage best internet practices for individuals and businesses alike, Ping Identity is observing Safer Internet Day on February 7, 2023.

Following the Safer Internet Day slogan “together for a better internet,” we are dedicated to protecting both the web and the people who use it. By making internet safety a top priority, Ping Identity helps “make the most of the internet’s potential to bring people together.”

While companies like Ping Identity are obviously invested in internet safety, we realize this topic is important to more than just large businesses like banks and healthcare providers. Since individuals use the web for everything from social engagement to financial management, internet safety also impacts people’s well-being.

Here are 5 key ways to promote internet safety at home, work, and school:

According to the news source Cybertalk, “Roughly 90% of data breaches occur on account of phishing.”

If you have ever received a fake email prompting you to open a link, then you have likely experienced a phishing scam. Often, these messages appear to come from reputable companies like Microsoft, yet they feature suspicious email addresses from unknown entities. In many instances, phishing emails are filled with spelling errors and grammatical issues.

Data breaches from phishing scams can be as simple as access to your email, all the way up to stealing sensitive financial data. In some instances, a link will redirect you to a malicious website that seizes your credentials. Other times, phishing scammers deliver malware that steals your data. After that, they sell your personal information online for a hefty sum.

An astounding 75% of people in the United States report shopping online regularly.

Since people spend so much time on the web, they want to avoid cumbersome login processes that ask for personal information with every purchase. Yet, this need for convenience also creates situations where people might offer up sensitive data to insecure websites without really thinking about it.

Anyone that shops online should be aware of signs they are using malicious or insecure websites. If Google Chrome is your browser of choice, it should pick up on unsavory websites with a “Not Secure or Dangerous” warning. In another example, you could identify a malicious website because it is designed to imitate a known e-commerce company like Amazon. If this is the case, the website name will likely be spelled similarly to Amazon's in order to mislead customers into giving up personal info. 

According to Microsoft, multi-factor authentication “can block over 99.9% of account compromise attacks.”

In the world of cybersecurity, authentication verifies people’s identities. Along this line of thought, MFA takes this process a step further by adding a 2nd or even 3rd form of identification from different categories. For example, if you have ever signed in to an online account using a password, only to get prompted with a text message and verification code, you have used MFA.

For individual users, MFA is a convenient way to protect access to sensitive sites such as bank accounts, credit cards, and retirement savings. For corporations needing to regulate enterprise-level access, MFA offers a scalable solution that can be utilized with mobile networks, company computers, and business websites.

As leading data provider Ipsos explains, “just over a third of Americans (37%) say that personal data they have provided online has been compromised.”

With the amount of time people spend on mobile devices and computers today, they often reveal personal information without even realizing it. In some instances, people volunteer personal data on social media platforms in casual chats. In other cases, your info could be compromised when a company that houses your sensitive data is breached by cybercriminals.

To allow users to have more control over their personal information, an emerging concept known as decentralized identity is gaining popularity. Utilizing blockchain technology, a decentralized identity gives people ownership and control over their personal information securely in a digital wallet. This technology eliminates the need for a centralized organization to store personal data, which may be collected and shared without the user’s knowledge.

It might come as a surprise to many people, but passwords are often the weakest link in any cybersecurity program. Passwords present real vulnerabilities in your network for several reasons:

• People often reuse the same passwords for multiple sites and devices

• Employees are known to choose passwords that are easy to hack

• People often store passwords in unencrypted places in the cloud like Google Drive

• Oftentimes, phishing scams directly target passwords and login credentials

While it’s important for individuals to create strong and unique passwords, more and more businesses are moving toward implementing passwordless authentication methods. With passwordless authentication, you use other means to verify your identities - such as SMS verification codes or biometrics like facial recognition. Replacing passwords with more secure authentication factors makes it much more difficult (and expensive) for hackers and bad actors to pose a threat to your data.

For both individuals and large corporations, internet safety is an immensely important topic in the world today. That being said, Ping Identity is proud to promote the ideals of Safer Internet Day every year in February. Together with the global online community, Ping Identity is dedicated to creating a safer and more secure internet for everyone - from Fortune 500 companies to individual families.

Contact Sales Today to learn how Ping Identity can help with internet safety at your organization.