The Internet is becoming an increasingly important part of our lives. Many of us spend a lot of time online, whether it is for work or leisure. However, with the Internet being open to everyone, it can also be very dangerous if you are not careful. This article looks at some of the best Internet safety tips that you can use to be protected from any cyber threats.

The first step is to avoid using weak passwords, which can be easily guessed or cracked by hackers. A good rule of thumb is to avoid using passwords that include your name and/or birthday, as well as any other pieces of information about you that can be found online - your pet's name, for example. Try mixing special characters with numbers, letters, and symbols; it will make your password more difficult to crack.

A password manager can help you generate passwords for all your accounts. It can also help you create complex passwords that are difficult to guess or crack. Another way to stay safe online is by using two-factor authentication. This is a security feature that requires you to enter a code in addition to your password when logging into an account or accessing sensitive data on the Internet.

Never share your passwords with anyone, even if they are your friends or family members. Don't reuse passwords across different sites or accounts; this makes it easier for hackers who have discovered one of your passwords to get access to several of your accounts at once.

Don't click links in emails, especially if they come from unknown senders. Most of these links will redirect your browser to sites that will infect your computer with malware or viruses. Don't forget that your friends' email accounts can get hacked as well, and cyber criminals may use them to send you legitimate-looking messages. More than this, some hackers use email spoofing to send you messages that seem to come from people in your address book, but are sent from a different address.

Don't entrust your sensitive information to non-secure (http) sites; the servers that host them send and receive data in an unencrypted form, making it possible for hackers to launch man-in-the-middle attacks and intercept your private information.

Stay away from the darker side of the Internet, which includes sites and forums where people share illegal content and discuss illegal activities. Most downloads from those sites will get your computer infected with ransomware, viruses, etc.

It is essential to make a plan regarding the amount of information you intend to share on social media, and think about who will get access to it. It's best to share as little info as possible, because it may never disappear from the web. You shouldn't allow anyone else to use your social media accounts either, because they will get access to all of your data and private messages.

Install antivirus software on your computer to protect it from viruses and malware. Don't forget to use antivirus software on your mobile devices as well. Modern security suites can get new virus signatures from their makers' databases on their own, but you may need to approve the installation of various updates that fix bugs and improve performance. So, take care of the task whenever you are prompted to update the antivirus.

Back up your computer and mobile phone regularly; this way, you will be able to restore your devices' data in case that something goes wrong. You can use a cloud service or an external hard drive (ideally, both) to back up your data. Specialists recommend having at least three copies of your data, one being off site, and the other two being stored on different types of media (DVDs, hard drives, etc.).