The majority of us know the basics of internet safety; we need to make sure our security settings are as strict as possible and that all of our passwords are as ‘strong’ as possible.
But do you know that your profile photo could also be putting you in danger?
Writing in The Smart Girl’s Guide To Privacy, Violet Blue, an investigative reporter specialising in cybercrime, explains: "The [profile] photo is the biggest mistake women make.
“Different pictures make it more difficult for cybercriminals to put together a digital portrait of you."
Quite simply, using the same profile photo on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and so on will make it easier for a criminal to link all the accounts you have on each network.
And, if the worst should happen and your private photos wind up in the wrong hands (particularly in the age of revenge porn), there are steps you can take.
Violet says: "Make your social networks private. Then — this can cost thousands — hire services like Abine.com or Reputation.com.
“You tell them what to look for; they check every month and start getting stuff taken down. They work to drive down negative search results.”
“If you can't afford that, DIY: Post, post, post positive content about yourself. Overwhelm the bad stuff with good content.
“Eventually the old stuff will just go by way of Google's 40th page,where no one ever looks."
Her top tips for online safety are:
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Use different email addresses for different online accounts
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View your Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus profiles as someone else (and then adjust the privacy settings)
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Tape over your webcam
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Activate the password lock on your phone, laptop and tablet
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Never sign in on someone else’s phone, laptop or tablet
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Look into getting a free, Internet-based VoIP (voice-over IP) phone number to use for any online communications
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Consider getting a post office box in place of your home address, to minimise the risk of identity theft, stalking, and other dangers
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Install two or three anti-tracking plug-ins and extensions to your browser (such as AdBlock Plus)
She adds: “You can also set up a Google Custom Alert, if you want to be extra-vigilant (or if you have enemies online). You’ll get an email notification whenever your name, email address, phone number is added to their searched sites.”