It’s summer holiday time and for many, it means sun, relaxation and time with the kids.

With plenty of recreational time, many of us will purchase items online, book holidays or scroll through social media - leaving us vulnerable to our personal information being stolen.

Over 60% of the world’s population are internet users, and that scale brings more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit an individual’s online security weaknesses and commit cyberattacks.

According to IBM data, over 90% of cyberattacks occur due to human error. The psychological, emotional, and financial impact cyberattacks can have on victims can be destructive, which is why you need to be so vigilant about your online safety.

Here are some top tips you can implement to improve your cybersecurity and cyber awareness to avoid becoming a victim of a cyberattack:

How to stay cyber-safe this summer

Use strong passwords

Whether you are using work systems or your social media accounts, make sure that you create strong and unique passwords to make them difficult for cybercriminals to decipher. Multi-factor authentication methods are one of the most effective ways to stay secure online, so activate it on every account that lets you use it.

Use secure networks and devices

When you use the internet remotely make sure you use a secure network. Public WiFi networks are convenient to use, but are also at high risk of cyberattacks due to their lower security. Installing antivirus software will also help to boost your cybersecurity and keep you safer online.

Use VPNs

Many businesses have started to use VPNs, the virtual private networks that create a more secure tunnel between your device and the internet. VPNs hide your IP address, which can help to stop cybercriminals from accessing your data.

Read more about using VPNs as part of your cybersecurity here.

Only use trusted websites

Make sure the websites you use are trusted and secure. As a minimum, legitimate websites should display that they have an SSL certificate - which the padlock will show at the side of the URL bar, and the website address should start with ‘https’.

Only use websites that you have used before and trust. Should you need to use a website you haven’t used before, try to find online reviews that will help confirm whether the website is genuine and not set up by a scammer.

Be careful what you post

Having more free time to spend online means more time to browse social media. It’s safe to say that social media is a massive part of people’s day-to-day lives and is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

Despite the massive strides and benefits of social media has created for many of us, it has also created more avenues of opportunity for cybercriminals to take advantage of.

Take, for example, your digital footprint - the sum total of all publicly available information about your online. It can give away your location, your passwords and much, much more.

Read our blog on the do's and don’ts of social media to keep your information secure, or discover our dedicated Digital Footprint course.

Be wary of links in emails, texts, and social media messages

Before clicking on any links within emails, text messages, or social media messages, take some time to check whether you should trust the link.

Check the sender’s email address to ensure it is not from a scammer using a similar email address of a contact or organisation known to you. Cybercriminals often play on people’s curiosity, using statements like ‘look what I found’ or ‘is this you?’ to try to encourage the recipient to click on the link.

These sorts of attacks are known as phishing attacks, and a report by Intel found that an astonishing 97% of people were unable to correctly identify phishing emails.

Bob’s Phishing is designed to provide incredible simulated phishing training to ensure you and your team don’t get hooked.

Bob’s Business provides effective products that boost cybersecurity awareness to help people stay safe online at work, at home, or on holiday.

Find out more about how we can help you stay safe online by viewing our full range of courses.