6 easy tips for securing your family’s online life

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Using the internet safely is a good habit. The online world touches so many aspects of our lives. Banking, shopping, communicating, entertainment… And all these moments we spend online are worth protecting. Because they are not just online life. They are everyday life.

Safer Internet Day takes place on February 7, 2023. It exists to highlight the importance of online security in our everyday lives. That is why we want to have a conversation with you about how you and your children can use the Internet safely. As children understandably are not prepared to face every online threat out there, it is important you can help them stay safe.

That is why we have compiled a list of 6 security questions that will help you and your family stay safe online. See if you have them all in hand! And do not stop just there – challenge your friends and family to help them use the Internet safer as well.

1. Is your home WiFi protected with a password?

If your home WiFi is not password protected, outsiders can easily connect to it. Once inside, they could potentially threaten other devices connected to the WiFi. In addition, they could alter your router settings and direct you to bad pages.

Make sure connecting to your home WiFi requires a password. If it does not, access your router settings to change this. To access your router settings, find the IP address that is written on the router and type it on your browser and sign in. The login credentials are also written on the router.

Now that you are in, add password protection to your home WiFi. But do not stop just yet: change your router’s default password as well. Default passwords are often known by hackers and thus offer little protection.

If you’re a TalkTalk customer with the latest router, then the above will not apply as these are sent out with unique, complex passwords as default. 

2.Have you installed antivirus software?

Antivirus is a must-have protection for Internet-connected devices. Antivirus prevents viruses and malware from entering your device. It is much easier to prevent infection than it is to deal with one. That is why antivirus is so important. It protects you even when you do not spot the danger.

In addition, some antivirus products include extra protection. For example, TalkTalk’s SuperSafe Online Defence also secures your online banking and shopping sessions.

3. Do you use unique passwords?

Using the same password for many accounts is easy. The problem is that it also makes breaking into these accounts easy for hackers. When hackers steal the password you use, they can get into all your accounts with it. This is important because online accounts include sensitive personal details, such as your home address, phone number or credit card number. Criminals can use these details for identity theft.

Using unique passwords erases this problem. While hackers may still break into an account, they cannot get access to other accounts with the same password. Save your unique passwords with a password manager, like the one you get with TalkTalk’s SuperSafe online security suite and you never have to wonder what your password was, or which character was a number. You can also copy, paste and autofill passwords for fast and easy login.

4. Do you have two-factor authentication enabled?

Two-factor authentication is another effective way to protect your online accounts and the personal details they withhold. It adds another method of verification after entering your password. This method can be, for example, a fingerprint or a code sent in SMS. The additional verification prevents criminals from breaking in with a stolen password. Enabling two-factor authentication doesn’t require you to install or buy anything.

5. Is your software up to date?

Software is written by humans. And humans make mistakes. That is why software may sometimes include flaws that can compromise your safety. And hackers are always looking for these flaws.

Software companies regularly update their apps to make them more secure. Install these updates whenever they are available. Enable automatic updates and you are always protected against exploiting known software flaws.

6. Can you spot suspicious links and attachments?

Unknown links may take you to phishing sites. Criminals use phishing sites to lure you into giving your personal details to them. Phishing sites, emails and messages often resemble real and well-known brands. URLs (aka the www. address of the page) on phishing sites may have just a one-character difference with that of an actual site. The same goes with email sender addresses.

Take extra care before opening links and attachments sent in email, chat, or SMS messages. If you are not sure of the sender, do not open links or attachments. Check the URL for any errors. And whether you trust the sender or not, make sure you have an antivirus as a back-up.

For more helpful tips to avoid the fraudsters check out our Beat The Scammers page.

All the protection you need

Follow these steps and have a good start on using the Internet more safely. If you want to take the next step and get all the protection you need, get SuperSafe online security from TalkTalk. It includes antivirus and a password manager. It secures all your digital moments on up to 10 of your devices including PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Android devices.

All you need to do to get it, is login in to My Account and subscribe to SuperSafe for just £4 per month – you will then receive an email from F-Secure to install the apps on to all your devices.