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The internet has allowed us to create wide-ranging networks of friends and work partners and it has made the world increasingly closely connected. There are many great things that come along with this tool that keeps us all in contact with ease. However, there are also negative sides to the easy access that we all have to one another due to the internet and social media.
Doxxing is one of the more recent developments in cyberbullying and aggressively inappropriate posting that is happening on social media. In some cases, doxxing can even lead to the involvement of the police or other people due to the nature of the post that has been made. Doxxing can also force you to close down your social media pages or much worse, lose your job.
If you have been trying to find out more information about how to protect yourself from getting doxxed, you need to read on!
How Can You Open Yourself Up to be Doxxed?
You might be thinking that you are really good at keeping your personal information out of your posts online. And this might be the case, but it is far easier than you think for people trying to doxx you to get information from your posts and interactions that can be useful to their cause. Any time that you post about your life, whether you are traveling, showing information about a new purchase, or even sharing pictures of your home or family, you could open yourself up to doxxing.
There are third-party companies whose entire job is to scan through social media profiles and see if there is anything that has been shared that can be used for a doxxing attack. Hackers then share the personal information that they have collected with one another. This can lead to password attacks and other forms of actual cyberattack alongside the doxxing attack.
You should be cautious about posting anything that is personal that could lead to difficulties for you later on. Even making a joke about robbing a candy store or posting a sentence about your “favorite pet” can lead to hacking attempts as well as more serious allegations being turned in about you to the authorities. You should also be careful about posting anything thoughtless or cruel in an online forum as this can lead to being reported to your place of work and potentially being fired.
Why do People Make Doxxing Attacks?
Doxxing is often very personal in nature. This is not a coordinated effort that is intended to go after your money or data in most cases. It is usually motivated by a desire to harm your reputation or bully you directly for some past interaction. This is a common way to try to harm people who hold public office or someone that you work with might not want you to get a promotion.
There are many ways that this kind of attack can harm your social standing, impact your ability to work, and you might even lose your job due to this kind of attack. For people who feel that you have injured them in some way, or who think that you are not deserving of a job or some form of social standing, this is the way that they will get even with you. There is a surprising amount of damage that can be done through this kind of attack.
What Can You Do to Prevent Being Doxxed?
There are some key things that you can do to prevent being doxxed. This can be an important decision to make if you are worried about being in the public eye and think you could be attacked in this way. These steps will help you to stay safe from this kind of attack with ease.
Use a VPN
This is a great solution for a whole host of reasons, and a virtual private network will help make sure that your internet history and access are not being looked at by others while you are working online. VPN use is becoming the norm for business use but you can also protect yourself by using a VPN at home.
Keep Your Personal Information Safe
If you want to be truly safe from doxxing, you need to be sure that you do not post anything online that could reveal personal information about you. This means that you need to be careful about the comments that you make on other people’s posts as well. Be professional online even when you are talking to friends on social media.
Don’t Take Online Quizzes
Many people do not realize that they are giving away valuable personal information when they take silly online quizzes on social media. You will be giving away possible information that could be used for password creation as well as personal information that could lead to hacking attempts. Online quizzes are not usually intended for fun and are created to mine information from unsuspecting users.
Change Passwords Regularly
Make sure that you keep your passwords complex and that you change them regularly. This is critical for maintaining the safety of your personal data and accounts and it can help you prevent both doxxing attacks and regular cyberattacks as well.
Preventing Yourself From Becoming a Victim to Doxxing is Easier Than you Think
If you take the time to use these tips and tricks, you will be able to greatly decrease the chances that you will become a victim to a doxxing attack. These are becoming increasingly common forms of cyberbullying and defamation and you will want to avoid them at all costs. Being sure that your information is secure and private when you are online is easy when you take the right steps.
Being aware of your online behavior and paying attention to how you store and use your data is critical to your online safety. You can prevent doxxing from impacting your personal data security and reputation by taking care to use these steps each day.
