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The online world is rife with cyber threats, and despite our best efforts, we’re likely to slip up at some point. Maybe some of your online accounts don’t have passwords as strong as they should be, or you’ve been tempted by an offer from a favorite store that seemed too good to be true and ended up clicking a dodgy link.

Unfortunately, the state of online scams is only getting worse. Around 80% of global consumers received a scam attempt in the last year, according to Mastercard. Furthermore, a survey by Iris revealed that American consumers encounter scams almost daily, and those who do fall victim lose more than $1,000 on average.

Building good cybersecurity habits is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your loved ones this new year. While exercising common sense and caution online is always the first step, that alone will only take you so far. To truly stay protected, it’s worth incorporating the following three privacy-focused cybersecurity habits as we head into 2026.

1. Use a privacy-first browser

A good online security toolkit is a lot like a holiday meal – it’s made up of multiple elements that work together to enhance the overall experience. While the TechRadar team keeps a close eye on what the best VPNs in the world are up to, we know that to truly crank up your online privacy, it’s important to complement them with other privacy-boosting tools, such as secure browsers.

Based on our testing, Brave and Opera are two of the strongest options for privacy. Unlike Big Tech alternatives like Google Chrome, these browsers are far less data-hungry and make a conscious effort not to collect information such as your location, browsing history, or online activity. Nor do they feed your data into ads or sell it to third parties for profit.

Unlike Big Tech alternatives like Google Chrome, these browsers are far less data-hungry and make a conscious effort not to collect information

On top of that, they come with built-in ad and tracker blockers that eliminate intrusive pop-ups, which not only disrupt your online experience and, on mobile, can quickly drain your data, but can also act as gateways to phishing attacks, potentially leading to serious cybersecurity risks such as identity theft or financial fraud.

Both Brave and Opera also come with built-in VPNs, which, while not as feature-packed as the most private VPNs on the market, can be a good place to start if you’re new to the VPN world. They’ll add an extra layer of privacy by encrypting your browser traffic. That said, it’s worth noting that they won’t encrypt traffic from all the apps on your device – something dedicated VPNs are designed to do.

In addition to being open-source, which means anyone can verify their code/logging practices, some privacy-first browsers also aim to stop fingerprint-based tracking. Brave’s fingerprint randomization, for instance, deliberately makes you appear different to different websites, making it virtually impossible for trackers, your internet service provider, or other web services to build an online profile of you.

2. Don’t accept all cookies

As long as it’s a cookie you find on Christmas morning or on the dining table during the holidays, it’s perfectly fine to treat yourself. However, when you’re on the internet, it’s worth reining in that temptation to accept cookies.

In the cybersecurity world, cookies take on a whole other meaning and are far less harmless than their real-world counterparts. Sure, it’s tempting to simply click the “Accept” button on the annoying cookie pop-ups you see on almost every website these days, but that’s really not a good idea.

Cookies are small text files created by websites and stored in your browser. They often contain data such as your username-password combinations, products you’ve previously purchased or viewed, browsing history, and more. While their primary purpose is to improve your online experience – for example, first-party cookies can make logins quicker, suggest other stuff you might like, and recall items in your cart – the amount and type of data they collect can also impact your privacy.

Third-party cookies are particularly concerning. These aren’t directly created by the site you’re visiting but come from external sources such as advertisers and analytics companies. They’re used to track your browsing activity across multiple websites, unlike first-party cookies, which are limited to a single site or service.

As a result, third-party cookies can be used to build an online profile of you and bombard you with targeted ads. Furthermore, malicious cookies, often found on untrustworthy or bogus websites, can be used to steal sensitive information, including your email address and even banking details.

The general advice, therefore, is to reject cookies on any site where you’re sharing personally identifiable data. However, if you want to start the new year with a clean slate and clear all your cookies, you can do so by heading to your browser settings and either blocking cookies, clearing them, or both. Most browsers, including Google Chrome, also let you specifically block third-party cookies or clear stored cookies and cached data.

3. Use a VPN whenever connecting to public Wi-Fi

Don’t let the convenience of public Wi-Fi fool you. Even though it may seem like the perfect online companion when you’re out and about – whether at airports, cafes, or libraries – that convenience comes at a cost.

Public Wi-Fi is a risky choice, as it’s a hotbed of cybercrime, primarily because these networks are often open and unsecured. That means anyone nearby can connect to them, including hackers, and you have no way of knowing who else is on the same network. Plus, they often lack the same encryption as the internet we use at home, making them susceptible to tampering or impersonation.

The most common risk is Man-in-the-Middle Attacks (MITM). Under this, hackers position themselves between your device and the public Wi-Fi router, intercepting communication and gaining access to sensitive information like emails, passwords, and financial details. Even worse, you’ll have little to no idea that this is happening.

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Wondering which VPNs we recommend to newcomers? Head on over to our ranking of today's best beginner VPNs.

Next, bad actors may deploy an “Evil Twin” attack, where they create a fake network that imitates a legitimate public Wi-Fi hotspot. The fake network often has a similar name, fooling you into thinking it’s legitimate, while actually giving the operator unrestricted access to your private info.

Even if you manage to skirt past fake networks and lurking interceptors on public Wi-Fi, you may still end up in harm’s way if you click on malicious ads or websites. These can often be used to inject malware into your device.

The good news, however, is that you don’t have to completely avoid using public Wi-Fi. After all, it’s a highly convenient tool, especially in places where your mobile data doesn’t work. The solution is to use a VPN, or virtual private network, when connecting to these hotspots.

A VPN encrypts your network traffic by routing it through a secure tunnel, scrambling the data and making it unreadable to prying eyes. So, even if a bad actor manages to intercept your data, they won’t be able to make sense of it and cause you any harm.

Just keep in mind that not all VPNs are created equal, and some offer better privacy than others. If you’re looking to seriously crank up your digital privacy and want only the best options, check out our rankings of the most secure VPNs.

Krishi covers buying guides and how-to's related to software, online tools, and tech products here at TechRadar. Over at Tom's Guide, he writes exclusively on VPN services. You can also find his work on Techopedia and The Tech Report. As a tech fanatic, Krishi also loves writing about the latest happenings in the world of cybersecurity, AI, and software.

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