Defend your online fortress against hackers and scams

Safe surfing

Everything you do through your browser can pose a potential threat. Here are some tips to protect yourself:

Safe browsing : Enable the "safe browsing" feature in your browser settings to prevent phishing sites from appearing in your search results. You'll also receive pop-ups warning you of potentially malicious websites.

Online payments : Be careful when buying from a lesser-known website. If the price seems too good to be true, be wary. Some people try to trick you into paying outside of the usual website (this sometimes happens with Vinted or 2dehands): this is often a ploy to obtain your bank details.

Public Wi-Fi : Be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi. Hackers can simulate fake Wi-Fi access points. If you're already on public Wi-Fi, avoid sensitive tasks like making bank transfers or entering passwords. If possible, always choose 4G or 5G; that's still the most secure.

ChatGPT : Don't share personal or sensitive company information with ChatGPT, as this tool uses all input for learning purposes. Any information you share becomes public. Therefore, be extra careful with, for example, any code you've written yourself, which is your intellectual property (or that of your company).

Phishing, don't get caught

Phishing involves someone trying to obtain certain information via email, such as passwords and bank details. Use the three Us as a guide to identify suspicious emails:

Urgent : Is an email urgent? Are you feeling pressured to respond quickly?

Unexpected : Is the email unexpected or does something seem strange about it?

Unknown : Do you know the sender, or is the email address correct? Check the email address and look for unusual elements. Official organizations, for example, rarely use Gmail addresses.

Unsure? Call or contact the sender at a different email address to verify the validity of the question. Never click on anything without checking the URL links in emails; suspicious links are often an attempt to obtain your information.

What if… you get hacked?

Sometimes it happens faster than you think. Even then, it's not always too late, and you can take some steps.

• Passwords: Did you enter your password on a potentially unsafe website? Change your passwords immediately. Bonus tip: use different passwords for different accounts.
• Card Stop: Do hackers have access to your bank or card details? Block your card immediately via Card Stop.
• Contact your bank: Contact your bank immediately. They can often stop money transfers. Did you know that most banks have a phone number you can call outside of office hours? Find this number on your bank's website and save it to your smartphone.
• Report to the police and safeonweb: If money has been stolen, always report it to the police. You can also report the attempted theft at safeonweb.be.

Long story short: always be alert and use healthy self-criticism when you receive emails or before clicking on a link. This increases your own security, that of others, and that of your organization.

All our blog posts are created in collaboration with our members and partners.