8 Habits That Will Make You Safer Online in 2025

The internet has made everything faster, cheaper, and more connected; it‘s changed so much for the better, but one thing it hasn’t done is make us safer.

In fact, it’s done the opposite. Today, your personal information and financial wellbeing are more exposed than ever. Over the last five years, 45% of Americans have had their personal information exposed in data breaches with 3,200 publicly reported breaches (affecting more than 353 million people) in 2023 alone. That’s a 78% jump from the year before.

Security isn’t something you should think about only after a breach. To abridge Maslow, it is the one thing that, when absent, makes everything else impossible.

But the good news is, you’re not powerless. In this blog, we will discuss 8 practical steps you can take to stay safe online in 2025.

1. Use a VPN on Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi networks, such as those found in cafes, airports, and hotels, are often unsecured, making them prime targets for anyone with a laptop in hand and mischief in mind. 

These networks can be exploited through man-in-the-middle attacks, rogue hotspots, and packet sniffing: techniques that allow attackers to intercept your data and compromise your personal information. The solution for this problem is simple. Use a VPN.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet connection, creating a secure information tunnel between your device and the internet. A good VPN will protect you from more than the packet sniffers at the airport. It can shield your browsing activity from advertisers, bypass geographic content restrictions, and keep your data private even on your home network.

When selecting a VPN, look for strong encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and features like a kill switch or DNS leak protection. Be cautious of free VPN services that promise the moon. These services make money somehow, many of them by logging your data and using that information to inject personalized ads into your browsing experience. 
 
Instead, consider budgeting a few dollars every month for a trusted VPN that prioritizes user security and privacy. 

Remember: even with a VPN, public networks are best used for reading the news, not transferring your life savings. If at all possible, avoid doing financial business over the coffee shop WiFi.

2. Verify Website Authenticity

Scammers today can conjure up perfect replicas of your financial institution’s website, complete with matching fonts, images, and chat bots. These fake sites often use web addresses that closely resemble those of reputable organizations. For example, if you bank with CreditUnionsAreGreat.com, watch out for CreditUnionsAreGreat.co. 

To protect yourself, always verify the authenticity of a website before entering any personal information. Look for the “https” in the address bar. “HTTPS” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. It means the website is using encryption to protect the data you send (like passwords or credit card numbers) from being intercepted by attackers. The “s” at the end stands for secure, and it's a good first sign that a site is legitimate.

However, be aware that these indicators alone do not guarantee a site's legitimacy, as scammers can also obtain SSL certificates.

If something feels off about a website, slow down and take a closer look. Double-check the URL for subtle misspellings, look for signs of sloppy design, and read the text out loud (scammers are allergic to grammar). Trust your instincts, but in the end, a vibe is just a vibe. Use tools like the Google Transparency Report, browser safety extensions, or website reputation checkers like ScamAdvisor to see if the site has been flagged for malware, phishing, or other security risks.

Be cautious of sites with numerous pop-ups, urgent messages, or deals that seem too good to be true. The rule is simple: never give your secrets to a stranger in a mask, even if the mask looks familiar.

3. Secure Your Bluetooth Connections

Bluetooth technology is wireless, easy to use, and (quite often) defenseless. One common threat is bluesnarfing, a technique that allows hackers to connect to your device without permission and access personal data like contacts, messages, or call logs. Another, bluebugging, can give an attacker control of your device’s features, letting them place calls, send messages, or eavesdrop on conversations.

Best Practices

• Pair only with devices you trust. Never accept unexpected Bluetooth pairing requests, especially in public places like airports or coffee shops.
   
• Keep your firmware current. Security patches often address vulnerabilities in Bluetooth protocols; it’s the digital equivalent of checking the locks before bed.
   
• Use strong authentication methods. When pairing devices, opt for methods that require a passkey or PIN to enhance security.

4. Manage Your Social Media Privacy 

The year is 2025, and the Age of Oversharing is upon us. Every birthday, pet name, and tagged location is a breadcrumb of personal information that, when taken together, can give a cybercriminal the tools they need to exploit you and those closest to you. 

Take a moment to review your privacy settings. Who can see your photos? Who can message you? Who, in short, knows where you are and what you’re doing? 

Did you post your phone number in 2019 for a community event? Share a screenshot of your boarding pass before a vacation? Announce your child’s school on the first day of class or tag your favorite coffee shop on Instagram? These posts may seem harmless in isolation, but together they can build a surprisingly detailed profile of your life.

Attackers can use SIM swapping to hijack your phone number, intercept 2FA codes, and gain access to your online accounts like banking, email, and social media. A single boarding pass photo can expose sensitive data hidden in the barcode, including your full name, itinerary, and loyalty program info. Revealing your child’s school or your daily routine on social media could give malicious actors the clues they need to target you, or even your family, with alarming precision.

Additionally, be wary of accepting friend requests from unknown individuals or from familiar faces with new accounts, as they may be attempts to gain access to your personal information.

5. Keep Antivirus Software Updated

Maintaining up-to-date antivirus software is a cornerstone of robust cybersecurity in 2025. 

Built-in options like Microsoft Defender provide a good start, but modern threats require more than a good start. Third-party antivirus programs offer real-time scanning, ransomware protection, and secure browsing, all increasingly necessary as malware evolves from blunt instrument to scalpel.

Like with VPNs, free options are suspect.

Third-party antivirus programs often provide enhanced features, including real-time threat detection, ransomware protection, and secure browsing tools, and regular updates ensure that your antivirus software can defend against the latest malware variants. 
 
Ideally, you want to be in the market for security software before a crisis, not after it.

But antivirus shouldn’t be the only software you’re thinking about. Your operating system and applications should be updated regularly as developers are often patching vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit.

6. Use Strong, Unique Passwords

It’s 2025, and you’re online, so you’re probably not using Password123 for all your accounts.

But, of course, there’s more to it. In 2025, a strong password should be at least 14–18 characters long and include a tangle of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It should not contain your dog’s name, your birth year, or your favorite baseball team. Remember how we talked about keeping personal identifiers off your social media, the same logic applies here. 

OK, so how do I keep track of a password that looks like 6^GFw92$)ki%? Easy. Use a password manager. 
 
A password manager generates unique passwords for every account, auto-fills login forms to save you time and effort, and encrypts your data end-to-end, so even the service itself cannot access it. You install it once on your phone and browser, set a single master password to get in and out, and the software takes care of the rest. You’ll never need to remember (or reset) your login again. 

And while you’re at it, enable multi-factor authentication which adds your phone as an extra line of defense.

7. Regularly Back Up Your Data

You’ve probably heard that once something is online, it’s online forever, but that isn’t necessarily true. In reality, links rot, platforms shut down, and entire archives vanish without warning. The internet forgets as often as it remembers.

And that’s not even taking into account the content that is deleted on purpose. Hackers routinely wipe data during breaches, disgruntled employees can sabotage systems from within, and authoritarian regimes have been known to erase entire swaths of online history.

Security isn’t just about keeping intruders out; it’s about preserving the integrity and availability of your data over time. Regular backups are essential to ensure business continuity and safeguard against these risks.[EH1] 

Best Practices:

• Adopt the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. Maintain three copies of your data: the original and two backups. Store these on two different media types, with one copy stored offsite or in the cloud. We realize this is a blog about digital security, but sometimes the best way to keep important information safe is to print it out onto physical paper.
   
• Implement Immutable Backups. Use backup solutions that prevent data from being altered or deleted within a set timeframe, protecting against ransomware that targets backup files. You can do this by creating multiple copies in different physical or cloud locations, and choose systems with versioning so you can roll back to an uncorrupted state if needed.
   
• Regularly Test Backups. Conduct routine tests to verify the integrity and recoverability of your backups, ensuring they function correctly when needed. This is most easily done by scheduling. On the first day of summer or on tax day, set aside 20 minutes to check up on your info.
   
• Automate Backup Processes. Schedule automatic backups using built-in tools like Windows File History, macOS Time Machine, or third-party services like Backblaze or Acronis. Set them to run daily or hourly, depending on how often your data changes. But make sure the destination is secure!

8. Monitor Your Accounts for Suspicious Activity

You can have the best security in the world, but if you stop paying attention, it doesn’t matter. Proactive monitoring of your financial and online accounts—like regularly checking statements and setting up alerts—helps you catch unauthorized activity early, before it turns into identity theft or financial loss.

Best Practices:

• Set Up Real-Time Alerts. Enable notifications for transactions, login attempts, and password changes to stay informed of account activities.
   
• Review Statements Regularly. Consistently check bank and credit card statements for unfamiliar charges or transactions.
   
• Utilize Credit Monitoring Services. Employ services that track your credit reports and notify you of significant changes, such as new account openings or credit inquiries. Credit Karma and Experian are two of the most popular services.
   
• Get Powered Up. First Service offers security solutions that monitor over 1,000 databases, public records, and dark web sources around the clock to detect suspicious activity tied to your personal information while providing $1,000,000 in expense reimbursement to cover the costs of restoring your identity, including legal fees and lost wages. 
  
  

If you made it this far, you’ve already done something most people won’t: you paid attention. That’s half the battle. In the end, security isn’t just about firewalls and passwords and the best third-party software solutions. It’s about presence. It’s about showing up for your own safety in a world that would very much prefer you be distracted. 

We discussed several threats in this blog, many of which can derail your life, but remember, security isn’t about paranoia. It’s about preparation. You don’t need to memorize every trick in the cybersecurity playbook, you just need to care enough to stay informed.