Canada Day is rapidly approaching. Many of us welcome the day off from work, sometimes checking out carnivals, parades, barbecues and fireworks shows. This can be a great time for us to spend with family and friends.

For many of us, Canada Day has a way of leading to the Internet, from booking holiday travel plans to getting some work done, which just proves that the net has made its way to many, if not most, processes in our daily lives. After all, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority reported in early 2013 that 8 in 10 Canadians go online regularly, so why should this be any different during holidays?

The easy answer is that it's not, something that many cybercriminals are now noticing. A number of hackers like to take advantage of Canadians when they have their guards down during the holiday season.

As such, it's important for all of us to remember the most important steps to ensuring Internet safety, especially as July 1st approaches.

Be careful when shopping
Some Canadian companies like to offer sales around holidays to promote certain items and drive revenue. So, it's not uncommon for people to take advantage of these sales.

According to The Huffington Post Canada, when buying products online, people need to make sure there is a trust mark on address bars before they enter in financial info. Moreover, using public access Wi-Fi to conduct transactions probably isn't a good idea, nor is failing to update security features and your  Internet browser regularly.

Keep your personal information offline
According to Sophos, many people like to post pictures or other information that shows how they celebrated Canada Day. However, Canadians have to remember that once something's online, it's supremely hard to remove it, the source explained.

So before posting, Canadians should make sure the data they're sharing with others isn't overly personal. Besides avoiding posting pictures or other media that could damage a reputation, people have to ensure they don't reveal details like their addresses, financial information, important data or other elements that can leave them open to threats.

Put the keyboard down?
This might not be a great or even feasible tip for many Canadians, but stepping away from the computer to enjoy the day with friends and family might be the best defense against hackers. If they don't have an outlet, you won't be attacked, it's as simple as that.

After all, the Internet will still be there in the evening after celebrations have died down or the next day when it's time to go back to work.