The use of smartphones, including other technology, has become an integral part of our daily life. Like most smart technology, these smartphones help us carry out business-oriented tasks and offer entertaining and informative content. However, considering the growing number of spurious websites, our smartphone data, such as passwords and other important data are often at risk of theft. So here are five common mistakes to avoid while surfing the internet to safeguard sensitive credentials.

Opening unverified links
Many websites often ask users to click links to download a free song, movie, or other content they would otherwise have to pay for. Clicking on links that are not verified may lead to installing viruses on your smartphone. These viruses can leech sensitive information from your device, compromising factors like the password.

Outdated browser software
Hackers will always look for loopholes in a device’s software to steal vital information. This is why smartphone and browser manufacturers roll out over-the-air updates to ensure the devices are safe from such individuals. Therefore, not updating the software may lead to password theft when one accesses such websites.

Allowing cookies every time
Cookies are files created on the computer whenever a user visits a website. These files store information that must be available during each session. But cookies could be repurposed for the wrong purposes, including tracking web behavior and stealing passwords. Therefore, you should allow first-party cookies when you visit a website. They are set by the actual site domain you visit as compared to other third-party cookies set by other domains like advertising networks.

Not having an antivirus
Individuals may accidentally visit a spurious website occasionally. In this situation, the lack of antivirus software could leave you defenseless against password theft. Therefore, it’s a good idea to install antivirus software to improve the security of your system while browsing the internet.

Neglecting VPN
Several websites may track activity or access sensitive information when users access their pages. Here’s where investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can help mask your IP address on these websites. A VPN is also useful when using unsafe, public WiFi networks on the move.