Top Tips to Keep the Elderly Safe While Browsing the Web

From getting online medical appointments to ordering pizza delivery or sitting in an exam, users can perform a plethora of tasks if they have a stable internet connection. However, with the ease that comes due to the improvement of technological services, the threats also increase every day. Malware, phishing scams, cyberattacks, and ransomware amount to millions every year. This puts the security of internet users at alarming risk.

How You Can Help the Seniors Stay Safe Online

The youth of today are quite well-versed with technology. However, the seniors are unfamiliar with a lot of safety practices. This means that they can easily fall prey to malware, phishing scams, ransomware, and cyberattacks. Moreover, the abundance of the internet in the form of mobile plans like Charter Spectrum mobile plans allows them to browse the web on their mobile phones as well. Therefore, internet security on all platforms such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones is necessary. Below are some of the best practices that the elderly can follow to have a safe online experience.

Being Careful While Sharing Personal Information

It’s quite important that you talk to the elderly people in your family and inform them about the dangers of sharing their personal information online. Tell them that they should never share their information on pop ups, unknown web pages, and unreliable websites. Furthermore, inform them that their date of birth, home address, and social security number are not for online sharing. If their bank or a state department requires such information, then they will always make a call.

Installing an Antivirus Program for Better Online Security

It is a good idea that you install antivirus software on the mobile phone or the laptop of the elderly members of your family. With the help of these software programs, they will be able to surf online while being protected from cyberattacks and other threats. Make sure to keep the software updated so that it can effectively scan the device for any potential threats.

Using Password Manager to Effectively Store and Create Passwords

Remembering passwords is a tough job. It is important that you install a good password manager on the mobile phone or laptop of the senior members of your family. With the help of this application, they will be able to not only store the passwords but also create stronger passwords. These passwords will not be susceptible to cyberattacks.

Make sure you update your OS

Windows and other Operating Systems get updates every now and then. Sometimes these OS updates contain Wi-Fi card or Internet hardware driver updates, giving a boost to the internet speed and reliability. Make sure to keep your operating system updated to ensure it doesn’t bottleneck your internet speed.

Close applications that are not in use

If you are using applications that use the internet, make sure you close them afterward or they will continue to leech away at your internet speed. You can go to the processes in the task manager and see which application is using up all your internet speed. If you aren’t using that application, left-click on it and click the end task button. This will free up your internet speed, making your internet faster.

Restart your router regularly

Restart your router after every week or month to allow it to get some rest. Restarting the router clears away its buffer and refreshes its memory. This process might increase the speed right after restarting in some cases.

Being Aware of Phishing Emails

Inform the senior members of your family that they should never open an email in their spam folder. Furthermore, inform them that even a mail that is from an unknown sender can be a phishing attempt. Apart from this, they should never click on suspicious URLs present on the web. Otherwise, they can fall into a ransomware trap, The URL may be a phishing attempt to gain access to personal information such as credit card detail, or your social security number. This can allow the attacker to deal financial damages as well.

Knowing About Reliable eCommerce Websites for Online Shopping

Due to the ongoing pandemic, many members of our society are shopping online. The eCommerce industry is experiencing quite a boom. Therefore, it is very important for you to share a few reliable eCommerce websites with the senior members of your family. Ask them to only shop from this website because there are many scamming websites active as well.

With the help of these tips, you can ensure that the senior members of your family can safely surf the web. Install an antivirus on their devices and ask them not to share their personal information. Provide them a password manager so that they can keep their passwords safe. Furthermore, tell them of a few good eCommerce websites so they never experience an online shopping scam. It’s quite to maintain a safe online presence on the web. Just follow these tips and the elderly will be safe.