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The recent Playstation security breach has opened many Internet users’ eyes to the seriousness of online security. If the wrong person gets their hands on your information, there is a possibility that the outcome could be harmful. Luckily, there are plenty of easy steps you can take to better protect your online identity.

Use an encrypted connection

Encrypted connections make it very easy to protect yourself online and they can be found on many of the most popular sites. Often, the settings must be changed to achieve encrypted access, but once it is achieved, your online session will be much more secure.

You can determine whether or not you have an encrypted connection just by checking the URL. If it begins with “https” instead of “http” you have an encrypted connection. If it does not, you can try to change the settings, although it is possible that that particular site does not allow for encrypted connections.

Use strong passwords

Strong passwords can easily be created and often make a huge difference in the fight for online security. Try using a range of numbers, spaces, symbols and upper- and lowercase letters in order to instantly create a strong password.

Also, utilizing a unique password for each site is vital. If you use the same password for multiple sites and one of those sites is hacked, you could be opening up all of your other accounts to hackers as well.

Look out for phishing

Phishing is basically when a hacker poses as a reliable company in order to gain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and account numbers. It is a fairly common practice due to its relative ease – after all, hackers only need your name and email address to pull this off.

The recent breach of Epsilon was a prime example. Thousands of names and email addresses were exposed and the companies affected immediately sent out emails telling their clients not to trust any emails that claimed to be from them. Some browsers, but not all, will alert you if a website looks fake, but you still need to be smart to avoid the scams.

These three tips are unbelievably easy to follow through with and instantly increase your online security. If you’d like more information on protecting your online identity, check out this article.