Running a blog has become a popular side hustle of millions of people around the world.
Some have even been able to turn this “hobby” into a full-time job with many benefits and a single downfall – a security risk.
Nowadays, having social media accounts puts you at risk of being targeted by hackers, let alone if you’re using online payment gateways or digital financial solutions.
The point is, cybersecurity risk is everywhere, even in blogging itself.
Hence, we’ll look at five tips on how to keep your blog’s data safe and avoid cybersecurity incidents.
Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication
The more your blog grows, the more attention it’s going to attract online.
As you’re just getting started, you can easily rely on the security of the blogging platform you’re using.
However, as you start attracting more people to your blog, you’ll need to start looking at additional security parameters that will help you protect your data.
Multi-factor authentication is one of those security measures that will come in handy both early on in your blogging journey and later when you have hundreds of thousands of people visiting your site.
Most simply put, multi-factor authentication creates two layers of security when accessing online data or accounts, making it harder for hackers to breach in.
It only takes a few minutes to set up a 2FA system, but it can save you a ton of hassle by preventing potential security incidents.
Use a Password Manager
Next up, make sure to use a password manager to handle all your passwords in one location instead of scattering them all over the place.
Most importantly, never use the same password for multiple accounts, including your blogging account.
This is a sure way to get in trouble.
Instead, use a password manager tool to generate safe and unique passwords and to store them in one safe location where you can access them with a master password.
Review Privacy Settings
The next step to securing your online data is to review the privacy settings on cloud services as well as any social accounts and applications you’re using.
Each of these tools and platforms has its own set of privacy rules and settings that you can leverage to protect your data.
Sometimes, a simple check button can prevent these platforms from tracking your information and storing/sharing it for advertising or other purposes.
Now, we don’t know what tools you’re using daily, but we can guarantee that each of them has certain security settings that you can play around with.
Make sure to look into those settings for your social media accounts, cloud storage, and financial applications
Clear Your Browser
One thing people often forget to do is clear their browsers and maintain good browser hygiene.
It’s no secret that browsers are heavily targeted by hackers simply because millions of people use them and serve as a great pool of valuable data.
However, if you keep your browser clear by going in there and doing some cleaning every few weeks, you’ll make fewer data available to hackers if a security incident occurs.
Start by removing any saved passwords and avoid saving passwords in the browser altogether.
That’s what the password manager tool is for!
Clear the cache, cookies, and history regularly and turn off autocomplete to minimize the amount of exploitable data tied to your account.
Use a VPN
Last but not least, make sure to install and activate a reliable VPN for Windows and mobile devices to be able to surf the web anonymously and stay off the hackers’ radar.
A virtual private network allows you to connect to the internet via a distant browser that virtually changes your location.
This kind of setup makes you appear anonymous online, which can help you avoid many cybersecurity threats.
Make sure to use a VPN regularly, especially when you connect to public WiFi networks.
Blogging with No Safety Risks
As a blogger, you will most likely be exposed to a certain level of cybersecurity threats out there. The “good news” is that you’re not the only one.
Anyone using the internet these days has somewhat equal chances of being targeted by hackers.
However, as long as you practice the safety measures listed above, you’ll be able to keep your data safe for the most part.
