There are internet settings, friendly mascots, and school assemblies all directed at children to help them understand that the World Wide Web is in fact world-wide and full of trouble and bad people as much as helpful information and good people. What we don’t focus on is our own security and how we should conduct our business on the internet safely, especially when it comes to effecting our life off-line.
A lot of us know the basics of internet online safety such as, don’t give a site your credit card number if it doesn’t have the “https” prefix and keep your passwords to yourself, but what about the not so blatant security measures? What many of us don’t realize is that what we do on the internet can affect us in the real world, so take precaution with what you post, share and tweet about.
When you go on vacation you usually make sure your lights are on a timer, park a car in the driveway, and have someone come by and check on the house every once in a while to make it look like someone is still living in the home. These are all good measures to take, but they will be ineffective if the whole world knows you’re on vacation! While that waterfall in Hawaii may be the most beautiful you’ve ever seen, if you post a picture of the whole family in front of it with a date and time, then you’re telling the world you’re not at home!
“I’m very careful about what I post!” you may say, but there is another threat that many of us don’t consider, or even know about, and that’s RATs. No, not the rodent. Remote Access Tools are programs that hijack your computer’s webcam or even read your e-mails. While the probability that you have one on your computer is low, it’s better not to take any chances. Before you leave your home, shut down your computer, close your laptop and unplug any stand alone webcams. If you are going on a long trip, consider disabling the wi-fi connection to your computers as an extra precaution. If they can’t get access to your webcam, then they can’t see into your home.
Finally, there’s an extra step you can take to make sure you’re home is safe even when you’re away. With All Island’s Home Security Mobile App you can remotely access your home’s Security System for anywhere with an internet connection, even the other side of the globe! That’s the kind of online safety we like to see. Visit All Island Security to learn more about protecting your home today!
