As society continues to increase its dependency on the internet, so the internet poses a greater threat to our financial security.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the UK government’s main source of expertise and advice in this area. Formed in 2016, it brought together expertise from various government departments with the aim of making the UK the safest place to live and work online.

The NCSC website contains a wealth of information about cyber security, but here are its top tips for staying secure online.

1. Protect your email using a strong and separate password. Once a criminal gains access to your emails, this can act as a key to unlocking other online accounts. Your email account is also likely to contain a wealth of information about you that can be used in identity theft. A good tip for creating passwords is to use three random words, as opposed to something which could be worked out if a criminal has enough information about you.
2. Make sure you have the latest software and apps updates installed. It can seem like you are constantly being asked to update to the latest version of any program or app you have loaded to your computer, smartphone or tablet. Often these updates are released to include security updates – potentially to protect against new risks as they are identified.
3. Turn on 2-step verification. Many online accounts now either offer or require 2-step verification (2SV). This is when you need access to a second ‘trusted’ device or account. Many UK banks have adopted this for online purchases, where as well as accurately inputting all your card details you may need to access your account on the bank’s app or website to authorise the payment.
4. Use a password manager. We know that it’s best to have separate passwords for each of our online accounts, but remembering them all can be tricky. A password manager is a very secure online account where you can store your passwords. Many password managers can also help in other ways, such as spotting fake websites, highlighting if you are using the same password for multiple accounts, and even alerting you if your password appears within a known data breach, in which case– you can then change it to resecure the relevant online account.
5. Back up your data. Increasingly we are storing information, files and photos online. Make sure these are backed up (making a copy and storing it separately). Apart for the inconvenience caused if your data is lost, some may be irreplaceable – think of those photographs of a child’s or grandchild’s first birthday!

For more details about being cyber safe, why not visit the NCSC website? And one more top tip: only the UK government can use .gov.uk in a website address, so if the site you access includes this, you know it’s genuine!