Importance of internet privacy and security

Now more than ever, the technological era is growing exponentially. We need to take this into account, and improve our information security and privacy. There has been a dramatic increase in cyber attacks over the years, and is now recognized as the fastest growing crimes. Without realizing we provide so many bits and pieces of personal information around the web. For example, we join social media sites, register for online banking, and make other personal accounts. Cyber-criminals use this information to possibly steal an individual’s identity or even sell their information for a potential profit. The most important thing we can do is to protect ourselves by being well knowledge on how to properly use the Web in a safe manner.

As students at The University of Texas, there are an ample amount of resources provided to us at no cost to protect our information. For example, BevoWare is variety of anti-virus, Web browser, e-mail programs, and other useful tools for both Macs and Windows available to all UT Austin students and staff. The most prominent one is the anti-virus protection. There are also other items for better security connections. By having anti-virus protection we can safeguard our information on computers from viruses, potential hacking attacks, Trojan horses, and worms. In addition, “utilities provide useful tools for compressing files, making secure FTP and SSH connections, communicating with on-campus servers and more” (BevoWare) In addition, another resource that UT provides to its student at no cost is UT Box. The UT Box is a cloud storage service that students could use to file share for either businesses or academic purposes. The major advantage of the cloud storage is that it allows students to “collaborate on documents and safely store confidential data” (UTBox). UT Box also allows students to share these files in a secure manner to other students or institutes. A major difference between UT Box and other cloud storage sites is that it has the most protection of confidential data. This is because it follows HIPAA, FERPA, SSNs, and much more.

As frequent Internet users we have to acquire new habits to ensure we are protecting our personal information and money. The first thing we can do is beef up our security. A personal firewall and security software are a must have when doing online transaction. In addition, it is important to guarantee the software is updated and always running the newest and latest version. Furthermore, we should always be careful what we download. Cyber-criminals often hide malicious software programs in games, widgets, or advertisements. A few other tips are to never respond to e-mails requesting personal information, be smart about your password, and use common sense.

 An outside resource that could be downloaded to protect personal information is LifeLock. This tool helps reduce exposure to key people search sites. LifeLock monitors many of the sites we use and helps remove information that shouldn’t be shared. In addition, the company provides a identify theft service that safeguards your credit, social security number, banking, and finances. The starting cost for the basic software is $9.99 monthly and could be upgraded for more (LifeLock) . Furthermore, Kaspersky is security software that protects computers from viruses, unknown malware, and much more. The company has three packages and each one provides more and more protection. The basic anti-virus costs $29.99 annually, the Internet security package is $39.99, and the total security package is $49.99 (Kaspersky).