9 tips to stay safe online

Navigating the internet is more challenging now than it was 20 years ago. It’s become a ubiquitous part of life, connecting us, speeding us up and entertaining us. But with the good comes the bad, and the scammers and thieves are getting cleverer all the time. 

Read on for nine things you can do to stay safe and protect yourself online.  

Don't click on suspicious links

If something seems off about a link in an email or website, don’t click it. You can hover your mouse over it and read the URL. If it ends in a strange top-level domain you don't recognise (really anything other than .com or .com.au for Australia) or begins with HTTP instead of the more secure HTTPS, don’t click. This is especially true for emails you weren’t expecting. 

Monitor your accounts

It’s important to keep a close eye on your bank accounts, especially if you’re a frequent online shopper. If you don’t already, try to make a habit of checking accounts every day or so, to make sure you find out quickly if someone else is using your payment details. And never give out your details over the phone or enter them online unless you’re certain it’s legitimate. Better to miss out on a sale than have your credit card details stolen.

Enhance privacy settings on social media

By default, most social media platforms (we’re looking at you, Facebook) let anyone online see everything you post. The risk of this is that people can cobble together enough information about you to be able to steal your identity – or simply know that you’re on holiday in Europe while your home (of which you’ve shared photos and the address) sits empty. Turn up the privacy settings as high as you can to control who gets to see all your personal photos and details. 

Be careful about what you share on social media

Even with privacy settings configured, exercise discretion before sharing content. Consider whether you want this information to be permanently imprinted in your online history. For instance, in January 2023, the Australian Federal Police advised parents against revealing identifying information like their children's names, locations, or school emblems.

Be prudent about divulging personal data, especially email addresses which can be harvested for spam, and be sure you know someone before accepting friend requests.

Be careful when shopping online

Before you buy anything online, check that the URL has an HTTPS tag and a lock symbol in the search bar. These show that your connection is encrypted, which makes it less likely that someone will be able to steal your credit card information as you’re shopping.

Use strong passwords

Your first pet’s name isn’t going to cut it in 2023. You really need to create strong passwords with a mix of characters, letters (uppercase and lowercase) and numbers. You can use a secure password manager (don’t just write them on a post-it at your office desk) to help you keep track. And always use a different password; using the same one across multiple sites leaves you open to mass hacking.

Enable two-factor authentication

Yes, it adds an extra step at log-in, but two-factor authentication (2FA) makes logging in to important sites so much safer. It uses an ever-changing code either generated through an app on your phone or sent to you in a message. This makes it impossible for other people to access your accounts if they don’t have your phone, even if they have your passwords.

Avoid unknown public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi can be a risk. Even if you’re confident about the source, avoid doing anything secure while connected to public Wi-Fi, such as banking, logging into My Gov or shopping online. It’s far too easy for scammers to access your personal information through unsecured network connections. 

Be wary of downloading software

Software can hide all sorts of malware, viruses and other things you don’t want on your devices. If you aren’t 100% sure about how secure it is, hit pause before you download. Check where it’s come from (does the email or URL make sense?), read some reviews and proceed with caution. This also applies to files from suspicious-looking websites or emails. Make sure you have good virus protection on your devices as a back up. 

Get great internet at home

If you’ve got a fast, secure, reliable home internet connection, you can stop worrying about lag, buffering and cutouts, and focus on keeping yourself safe online. If you can trust your internet provider to look after your connection, you can then trust your gut on what’s happening while you use the internet. 

Trust no one

It sounds a bit dark, but it’s essentially true. If you get an email or message you weren’t expecting from someone you don’t know, treat them as a threat until you can prove that their intentions are good. When selling things online, assume anyone who contacts you will try to scam you. If something sounds too good to be true (a mystery philanthropist wants to donate a large sum of money to you, or you’ve been offered the dream job without applying) it almost certainly isn’t true. Be suspicious of everything online. 

To find out more about safety on the internet, visit the eSafety Commission site – it’s important to only take advice from reputable sites. 

Good luck, be smart and stay safe.