If you work from home, knowing how to protect yourself and your business is critical. Because most of your activities are online, have strategies that don’t leave traces of your browsing history or make your business vulnerable to hackers. How do you protect yourself?

Don’t Use Your Official Phone Number for Verification

Most sites will require a verification process before allowing you to access their services or carry out any activity. Some will give you an option to verify through a phone call or SMS. Every time you use your phone number for online authentication, you leave traces of your personal information, which fraudsters can use. If a hacker gets your phone number, it’s easy to access all the accounts verified with the phone number.

Instead, use a separate and different number every time you need to verify your credentials. You can get Tinder phone verification or phone number for Tinder when you open a new Tinder account. The same goes when opening other platforms’ accounts, including Facebook, Gmail, Airbnb, Instagram, and Fiverr.

Know Your Business Associates

Transacting with people you’ve never seen can be tricky because it’s harder to know whether they are genuine. Take time to understand your associates before tying yourself to any agreement. For instance, if you are looking for suppliers of a particular product, check different companies, their reviews, location, and how long they’ve been in operation.

If you offer services, don’t carry out the project before the client commits to the contract by paying half the agreed amount or all of it. If you use popular job boards to source for clients, pay keen attention to the client’s communication. Someone who hurriedly closes a deal, insisting on getting the products before making a payment, or asks for many samples may not be genuine.

Always Use a VPN

It’s easier to track your online activity when not using a VPN, especially when on a shared network or WIFI. As mentioned earlier, don’t leave traces of your browsing history or make it easy for hackers to detect your location or activity. If using a shared WIFI when traveling, make sure you have a reliable VPN. Also, don’t access important accounts when on a shared network.

Have a Strong Security System

What security measures do you have in place to protect your data? A data breach can expose your business-sensitive information to hackers. You may end up losing money when your online payment systems are not secure.

After a data breach, customers can sue, leaving you with hefty penalties to pay. Choose a reliable security system provider who takes time to coach you on preventing and detecting cybersecurity threats.

Choose Hard to Crack Passwords

Using easy-to-guess passwords such as your name or date of birth makes it easy for someone to hack your accounts. The same happens when using sequences such as 333333. Although such passwords are easy to remember, they make hackers’ work less challenging. Choose hard-to-guess passwords and, if possible, mix letters, numbers, and characters.

It also helps to delete accounts you no longer use, reducing personal information circulating online.