Women can be targets of cybercriminals, cyberstalking, cyberbullying and much more. We’ve covered some basic digital crimes you should know about and what proactive ways to take charge of your online life.

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How Does Cyberstalking Affect Women?
Internet users have been targeting women in defamatory and humiliating ways since the inception of the web, and social media has only made things worse in recent years. There are many cyberstalkers out there who constantly monitor what a woman is doing, while also contacting them frequently in the hopes of initiating a relationship or in vain hope of trying to keep a dead one going. Sometimes these situations turn into full-blown harassment, with lewd, offensive, or threatening comments being leveled at women.

There are also online predators who seek out ways to exploit women, including those who share vulnerable images or videos of women online with the intent of causing them harm. Such a crime is punishable by law, but even bringing justice to these perpetrators is often not enough to heal the pain that it causes women who deserve to have a harassment-free digital life like they do in their physical surroundings.

Cyberbullying and Phishing Scams Are Real Problems
A group of seven adults between the ages of 21 and 25 went undercover to a high school to discover what teenagers are like these days. One common problem that they discovered is cyberbullying and the pain it causes the victims. While bullying has always existed, the presence of the Internet makes it easy for cyberbullying to exist around the clock. Some teenage girls who’ve been victims of cyberbullying have succumbed to depression or worse.  

Another common issue is phishing scams that target women, some of which are romance scams where a website lists women as being a 100% match of a potential partner. After talking to the person for a while, the prospective partner will then ask for a large sum of money as a loan to get out of a difficult situation. Avoid these scams at all costs.

How Can You Protect Yourself?
For cyberbullying, parents and teachers have developed programs to mitigate this problem but responsibility also lies in empowering young women to be strong, confident and practice self-love throughout those difficult years.

Protection can be a frustrating exercise for women who are stalked online. But a good rule is to shut down sharing settings on your social accounts, never engage with a cyberstalker, and keep detailed records of any stalking incidents to share with the authorities.

Since phishing or malware attacks are a reality, women are encouraged to keep a close eye on their security features in apps, and then employ something like dfndr security which can scan your Android phone for viruses and malware, or detect malicious links with advanced anti-hacking technology before you even click on one.

Thankfully, some developers have created apps that help women protect themselves from being the victims of physical attacks. One such app is Lifeline Response, which tracks a woman’s movements and calls the police instantly if something happens. Users place their thumb on the screen while using it, and if they take their thumb off, an alarm sounds.

In some cases, the app can ensure that police respond in just over a minute. Lifeline Response costs about $5 a month and it is available on Android.

Contact the Authorities After a Cyberattack
One way you can report an online criminal act is through Homeland Security’s ‘Report Cyber Incidents’ page. You can also use the Law Enforcement Cyber Center to report cyber attacks, in addition to contacting your local authorities and launching an investigative case.

With the recent #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, women’s voices have never been stronger. Right now is the time to take a stake in your physical and online worlds by making sweeping changes that will reverberate for future generations of young girls and women worldwide.

When to Draw the Line
When it comes to a personal caller such as an ex, even weekly calls can be painful so draw a firm line with them. For your sanity, block him or her if they continue contacting you and making things awkward.

Spam calls continue to increase year by year. If you’re getting bombarded by marketers, warn them to no longer call or you’ll report them. If they persist, report them or simply block them to gain some peace and a quiet phone.

The Do Not Call Registry
If you’re constantly being harassed by marketers, sign up with the National Do Not Call Registry. On DoNotCall.gov, you can register up to three numbers or check if your number is already there.

Doing so will give you an increased sense of privacy as continuous calls from marketers and scammers can be reported. You can also sign up by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the phone you want to register.

How to Block Someone on Android
Blocking someone on an Android device is much tougher because you have to go through different procedures based on your phone. We recommend you Google the steps, or search on YouTube depending on the device you own.

There are some devices such as the Google Pixel and Pixel XL that run Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later that has clear instructions on blocking calls. When in the Phone app, go to the more options icon next to the icon. Then go to Settings, Call Blocking and tap the number you want to block. You can also ‘Report’ call as spam.

The bottomline is to remain safe from an aggressive caller so with these handy tips, hopefully, the confusion on who to block or when is much clearer for you to determine.

According to the FBI, healthcare organizations have been made aware of increasing data hostage situations backed by phishing emails and malware. A specific type of malware known as ‘ransomware’ is especially widespread, making up for 72% of all healthcare attacks.

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What is Ransomware?
Ransomware focuses on capturing sensitive information and then holding it until payment is received from the targeted organization. If organizations refuse to pay, hackers will generally sell off the data or destroy it altogether.

According to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigations Report, holding your healthcare data ransom can be particularly lucrative:

“For the attacker, holding files for ransom is fast, low risk, and easily monetize less – especially with Bitcoin to collect anonymous payments.” – Verizon Report authors.

While some of these attacks are on the healthcare infrastructure itself, others are targeted at individuals through phishing efforts; these can easily be avoided with standard safe practices.

Watch Those Passwords!
Be conscious when creating passwords for online medical services. Design passwords that are random and complex, featuring numbers, letters, and symbols. Avoid dictionary words or phrases that a hacker can easily attempt to decode. If your passwords are getting out of hand, try a secure password management solution such as 1Password or LastPass.

Most importantly don’t give out your password or other sensitive information if asked. Healthcare companies will never send you unsolicited emails asking for passwords, social security information, or other private details. If you receive an email from a healthcare provider, avoiding click the links and instead, visit the official site by typing in the provider’s address manually into your web browser.

Medical Phone Calls Are Legitimate, Yes or No?
The same general information applies if you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be your healthcare provider, and making claims that your rates have increased or are on the financial hook for a medical procedure..Hang up the phone and call the company directly using the number provided on their website or the back of your insurance card.

We can’t do everything to stop hackers hacking from attacking our healthcare data, much of our protection is based upon the health IT infrastructure. However, following the above best practices are an excellent way to keep your sensitive information as it should be – private.

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How Hackers Guess Your Passwords
Often, hackers will look for some key information on you and your past history, and they will be able to combine that information to come up with your password. Many people combine elements of their history to create a password, which may seem tricky, but it is actually easy for a hacker to guess. Since social media is very easy to hack, a hacker can easily have access to all of your personal information on your background and family. One example of this is that a hacker may go to your Facebook account and find your birth year and your mom’s maiden name. By combining this information, the hacker may be able to guess your password.

Create an Alter Ego and Keep Your Private Data Safe
One of the best news ways to prevent hackers from guessing your password is to create an alter ego. Maybe this alter ego was born in a different place than you and has a different last name and birthday. By creating a password or login information based on this alter ego, hackers cannot simply guess the password by analyzing your social media accounts. Your password would only be available to you since you’re the only one who knows about this alter ego. As silly as this may sound, it can be a great way to keep your personal information safe from hackers and malware. An alter ego with a different history will be sure to keep hackers from obtaining your private data.

But, for all that you share and enjoy, there are bits of information that you probably want to keep private. Apps like dfndr vault are a good start to prevent prying eyes from seeing you’re embarrassing party photos and videos. Let’s be honest, you probably also want to keep what you do with your friends hidden from curious parents.

February 6th is Safer Internet Day, which is all about being aware of protecting your information – here are 5 more security tips to keep you safe on campus.

Create Complex Passwords
While it can be tempting to use the same password for every website and service that you use, be sure to keep them different and complex. Avoid using full words, names, or other obvious options, such as the name of your pet or favorite sports team to stay safe online. Create passwords with a random combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, then keep track of them all with a trusted password manager. Using the same password for every account is like using a single key for everything you own – one breach and everything is compromised. Suddenly those cool snaps aren’t so private.

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Be Aware of What You Click On
Awareness is the number one defense against phishing and malware attacks, to create a safer internet you need to begin with yourself. If you aren’t fully aware of where a random web link will take you, then consider avoiding it. Unknown apps or links can introduce malware and viruses to your device, even gaining access to resources such as your camera or microphone. Stay safe online by know what you are clicking on.

Use Safe Payment Options
It is nearly impossible to not be drawn into shopping online; after all, you need to buy that latest game for your smartphone. Make sure you’re using trusted websites when making purchases and don’t save your credit card info if you can avoid it. One thing you could do is utilize an online payment system such as PayPal in place of your credit card to try and stay safe online.

Consider What You’re Sharing
You love to share your status with your crew (or family), but take a moment to consider what you may be revealing.  Don’t tweet details of huge purchases or post pics of new jewelry as that can draw the campus thief to your door. Sharing your location for your next party? Probably not a good idea to share with people you don’t know. To keep safe online turn on off location sharing whenever possible or choose to share your location with a select group.

Try a VPN
While we often recommend staying away from public WiFi as a secure practice, it isn’t exactly practical. Whether you are hanging out on campus or the local coffee shop, many of us need internet access to get school work done. Utilize a secure VPN, such as dfndr vpn, to keep your data private and encrypted from those snooping on the network or bypass annoying content filters. If you’re a gamer, you can enjoy the possibility of a reduced ping time if the VPN’s server has a quicker route to your game host – reduced ping means less lag and more responsiveness in online multiplayer games.

How Many Apps Are on Your Phone?
Odds are, you’ve downloaded a lot of applications since you first pulled your new phone out of the box. Consider all of the social media applications, games, and all of the applications like Netflix and Uber that most users can’t go without, and the average smartphone user has 32 applications installed. Chances are, you may not be using some of them, or some of them may serve the same function, like Lyft and Uber. Users can thus take steps to consolidate their applications.

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Take an Inventory of Your Apps
Users can manually go through all of their applications and not only delete unused apps, but also manage data preferences. They can also configure what information is shared through applications, and if those applications are allowed to store information on the device itself. Many applications like Facebook ask to track location or save cookies on your device, and these can eat up huge chunks of memory without users knowing why. While manually going through these applications can be tedious and thankless, many users have reported that it is an effective way to increase device speeds and return the device to normal. Try all these tips to bring your beloved phone back to life and remember you can always add back an app at a later date.

Delete Duplicate Photos and Videos
We said it before, but it is worth repeating – remove any duplicates photos and videos that you no longer need on your device. We all know the scenario, at a party or gathering, hitting the photo button half a dozen times to capture the perfect shot. These duplicate shots quickly pile up, draining your smartphone’s storage. Clean out what you no longer need with a duplicate photo cleaner and your smartphone will thank you.

If you are completely drained of storage, consider a solution such as a Google Photos to keep your memories in the cloud for no cost. Do the same for your computer, clean out duplicate photos, or old ones and store them in an encrypted external hard drive.

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Uninstall Apps You Don’t Use
What’s more significant than a photograph and more resource intensive? Hint: It’s your unused apps. Consider the last time you opened that obscure app for celebrity gossip or that app you used to gain entry for a limited time event last year. Apps can take up large amounts of space, quickly diminishing storage. These unused applications may be running in the background, slowly destroying your phone’s efficiency.

Clean Out Facebook Messenger
If you’re chatting with your friends and family via Facebook Messenger, there’s a good chance that you might need to clean out your device. dfndr security’s facebook messenger cleaner feature allows you to remove old, unwanted files that the messenger app may be leaving behind. You could gain extra storage and clean your smartphone by removing old videos, audio messages, and photos still lurking on your device.

Have a mobile device? Be sure to blow out the headphone jack (if your phone still has one), along with any other ports where your pocket lint may decide to hang out. These simple steps can help you easily avoid problems down the road.

You May Have Too Many Apps Open at Once
If you aren’t good about closing out apps from time to time, it could mean trouble with how seamlessly your phone runs. While killing your apps isn’t something that you need to do all too often, leaving numerous apps running in the background of your phone — i.e., if they’re not being used but are still open and active — for an extended amount of time can cause problems. This ranges from draining your battery to causing those pesky app crashes.

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There May be an Issue With Your Software
Something more serious that may be at the root of your repeated app crashes is a problem with the software development of your phone. From time to time, updates to Android software may come out that then prove to operate in a suboptimal way with third-party applications. This means that bugs — such as repeated app crashes — can occur, causing frustration and prohibiting you from using your device the way it’s intended to be used. When you notice these performance problems, report the issue and make sure that you’re completing additional software updates that come out, as they could have useful bug fixes.

It May Be a Data Issue
If you don’t have a lot of extra storage space left on your phone, this could be the culprit behind app crashing, too. If you’re experiencing this crashing, try looking at your available storage and making space if you don’t have much left. You are likely to find that this will help to resolve this issue quickly.

You want to make sure that these issues are not compromising the safety of your digital device and try to be aware when your phone acts sluggish because the last thing you want is to have an infected device!

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Malware and Your Email Account
Email providers can take some steps to curb malware. They can flag spam emails and reject security certifications. They can also make money without anonymously selling the individual’s data like Google does. Individuals can take their own steps to make email less susceptible to malware. One step is to reduce the number of emails that an individual signs up for. This effort reduces the possibility that a person will be sent a compromised email. You also need to be vigilant about the emails they receive and the ones they send out. Try to avoid emails with suspicious headlines or ones that do not seem legitimate for any reason. However, these efforts are far from foolproof.

Since no malware protection plan can be perfect, anybody using email should take a number of basic steps in order to protect their device and their information, first being to have a solid antivirus app installed and taking precautions mentioned here.

But have you ever wondered how the perpetrators behind those hacks and programs make their money? By understanding what they do to extort information and earn their money, you can better prepare yourself against future attacks, and know the warning signs to watch out for.

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Step 1: Hacking Into the Device
The first step for any hacker is to get access to your device or your information. This can be done through software or through a tracker that has been installed on a sketchy website. It can come from a variety of programs or apps that may be vulnerable — which is one reason to make sure that you constantly update your devices. Once that area has been exposed, it can be identified and targeted for installing the ransomware onto your computer or phone.

Step 2: Extort the Device Back to the Owner
Once installed or hacked, hackers and ransomware criminals will try to extort your information for money, likely by emailing you or demanding a form of payment from you, if you want your data kept safe and restored. An example is a famous case involving the HBO hackers, who demanded money from HBO to prevent them from releasing new Game of Thrones episodes.

Oftentimes, criminals will demand payment in the form of Bitcoin, a digital currency that can’t be tracked, so their information won’t be revealed. This form or ransom payment allows cybercriminals to continue doing this to other unsuspecting victims. If you refuse to pay, oftentimes it isn’t worth it for the criminals to continue extorting.

With the knowledge of how ransomware hackers make their money, you can take better steps to prepare yourself against attacks and prevent your information and devices from being compromised. Make sure to be aware of how ransomware attacks work and to report to the authorities when you’re being extorted. More importantly, make sure that you browse safely to ensure that you won’t get a virus or malware to begin with by downloading a reliably performing antivirus app. You can have peace of mind knowing that the security of your device has safeguards in place.