{"id":192,"date":"2024-02-17T09:06:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T09:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?p=192"},"modified":"2025-04-25T16:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T15:26:08","slug":"five-effective-ways-to-stay-safe-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"Five effective ways to stay safe online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everyone\u2019s online much more than people would\u2019ve been even a decade ago. While a lot of this can be for positive reasons, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s all as wholesome as some people believe. Instead, there are often more than a few risks involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hacks, fraud and other threats are always lurking around dark digital corners. You\u2019ll need to stay safe online and protect yourself from these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcPMIgbndVQnyMGuDFEyvQOk5NNn37Nq3eEIlcCHvOfKc80bMV0rYxDE2cpr7MGC43wyaPJGsqRUGKSa7QnKJ-esEBhFX7EDXNDohDcmBB_cQ5SRMdQNEyAE9VaA1PIp1BLzRtieA?key=pf4vJdLnWjk_Im9X8gVuJPgd\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While you\u2019ll already know this, you mightn\u2019t know exactly what you should do. Fortunately, this doesn\u2019t need to be as complicated as you\u2019d first think. Five great tips are relatively simple, and they\u2019ll keep you safe online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay safe online with 5 great tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Update Your Software<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You would\u2019ve seen quite a few notifications pop up on your laptop or computer if you\u2019ve had it for a while. Many of these will be for updates for various software. These don\u2019t pop up for no reason and you should pay attention to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When software hasn\u2019t been updated in a while, it becomes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presencesecure.com\/keeping-your-computer-and-devices-secure\/\">increasingly less secure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It becomes much easier to hack into and use, making sure your software is always updated. In most cases, this should only take a few minutes. On top of better security, it could even lead to the software functioning better. You\u2019ve no reason not to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Be Careful With Wi-fi<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdWxAmuu3972ImWEWnNRyT56ri9Bp2WMs2MEKQVnf2O1if2lJ2-HPFD8TNZU3ekVJ88QIMuDa4FXP4oEnufzU37bZcKrLTXB51GRyY60vmuz1_i1pbhZ1iHK-ngIyf7csKrVkN8?key=pf4vJdLnWjk_Im9X8gVuJPgd\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your home wi-fi is usually secure and you normally don\u2019t need to worry about it once it\u2019s password protected. That often isn\u2019t the only wi-fi you\u2019ll use at various points, however. When you\u2019re out in public, you could need to use free public wi-fi. As much as you might need this, it\u2019s always worth being careful over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s worth making sure you have firewalls and similar software installed on your device to protect it if you\u2019re using public wi-fi. It\u2019s also worth avoiding visiting websites that need sensitive information when you\u2019re on this wi-fi. You never know if it\u2019s actually safe when you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Look After Your Device<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your devices always need a little bit of maintenance and some of this affects whether you can stay safe online. Updating your software (as mentioned above) falls under this. You\u2019ll need to go beyond this and use a few best practices so you can properly look after your device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even knowing <a href=\"https:\/\/clearvpn.com\/blog\/how-to-delete-google-search-history\/\">how to clear Google search history<\/a> helps you look after your electronic devices. It plays a role in making sure your device doesn\u2019t get bogged down by old files, search histories, cookies and more. The more you look after your device the better you should end up being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Back Up Personal Data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll have quite a bit of personal information on each of your devices, including pictures and videos you love. If something happens with your device and it doesn\u2019t work anymore you could lose access to all of these. That\u2019s naturally something you wouldn\u2019t want to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfRTj-A4rOdPjVF3yNv2DC0Y91p4NjWCLr7RzoGrbPFTn13PD5cXy9Bt8tZDMKlt2LoImx6rUmunvQtNbfiu_s-aInc7l7zB1kSDqS3B7uwtXdfMLo2CqXryDz0IAaLBKn9Ahau?key=pf4vJdLnWjk_Im9X8gVuJPgd\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking after your device, as mentioned above, helps with this. Make sure you have your personal data backed up, too. It\u2019ll make sure you don\u2019t lose any personal data you don\u2019t want to lose. It\u2019s more important that you realise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Use Great Passwords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll already know you\u2019ll need to have passwords for various accounts. You\u2019ll even know you should make sure these are all different from each other. Put a little time and effort into making sure these are as secure as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of looking at them as passwords, look at them as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchsecurity\/definition\/passphrase\">passphrases<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Come up with a phrase you can remember but would be impossible for someone else to predict. While this could take a little bit of time and effort, it\u2019ll be more than worth it. Your accounts will be quite safe, so you shouldn\u2019t have to worry about anyone hacking into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trying to stay safe online doesn\u2019t need to be complicated. It can be a lot simpler than you think. It\u2019s just a matter of taking the right steps, and you shouldn\u2019t have anything to worry about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfFDHXC1wH3lhUSt_tx0mGfArVEkMRVz164BMVQryRt_OlS3ZA715G69KbbJ9KtcwV4wRamBC_zCWTdtaJV29zywErJ7761C3x8zZMQ28yhU2cOOjJNtQh8Ol2b-jDjKlQiHR5P?key=pf4vJdLnWjk_Im9X8gVuJPgd\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With how many risks lurk around in the digital world, there\u2019s no reason not to make sure you\u2019re safe online. The benefits far outweigh the relatively minor effort it needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone\u2019s online much more than people would\u2019ve been even a decade ago. While a lot of this can be for positive reasons, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s all as wholesome as some people believe. Instead, there are often more than a few risks involved. Hacks, fraud and other threats are always lurking around dark digital corners. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53221594,"featured_media":318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[54614915,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adulting","category-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgmcKn-36","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":372,"url":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?p=372","url_meta":{"origin":192,"position":0},"title":"How to Support Your Children Through Trauma","author":"Annabel","date":"12\/02\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It is unfortunate that millions of children around the world experience some form of trauma each year. Whether it is a natural disaster, being in a car accident or being bullied at school. These traumatic events can leave lasting impressions on young minds. As a parent it is important to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Parenting&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Parenting","link":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?cat=5309"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/markus-spiske-97rpu-umcay-unsplash-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/markus-spiske-97rpu-umcay-unsplash-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/markus-spiske-97rpu-umcay-unsplash-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/markus-spiske-97rpu-umcay-unsplash-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/markus-spiske-97rpu-umcay-unsplash-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?p=352","url_meta":{"origin":192,"position":1},"title":"How to Protect Your Children Online","author":"Annabel","date":"22\/09\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As a parent, you want to do everything possible to protect your children. 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Not everyone understands the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Adulting&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Adulting","link":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?cat=54614915"},"img":{"alt_text":"owner holding a cat s paw","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pexels-photo-10759425.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pexels-photo-10759425.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pexels-photo-10759425.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pexels-photo-10759425.jpeg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":555,"url":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?p=555","url_meta":{"origin":192,"position":5},"title":"Book Review: Freckles, Cecelia Ahern","author":"Annabel","date":"25\/05\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This one popped up on my recommendations from Amazon and thought I'd give it a go. I've read Cecelia Ahern books before and they've always been page turners... Amazon Sometimes the people who have the power to change your life are the ones who have been there all along.....\u00a0 Like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/?cat=309"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pexels-photo-3064717.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pexels-photo-3064717.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pexels-photo-3064717.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pexels-photo-3064717.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/pexels-photo-3064717.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annabelwrites.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20fa873a-6862-45ee-9739-40f244441b43.jpeg?fit=4705%2C3137&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/53221594"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":488,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annabelwrites.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}