HOW CAN I KEEP MY DEVICES SECURE ONLINE?
The continuous surge of technology in our lives today ensures a more convenient way of living our lives to the fullest, doing work faster and more subtly than before. However, as much as technology brings dominance to our society, it also causes destruction in different areas of our lives. Malicious people are increasingly taking advantage of everything online called cybercrime, like data breaches, getting your personal information, and bank accounts, phishing, hacking organizations to get confidential information to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors, and even using it for political gains.
As much as the internet helps us with almost everything, it has also become a space full of malicious links and viruses. When one click can cost thousands or even millions, users need actionable to-dos that can help them stay alert and safe online. That is why it is important to secure and get more knowledge when it comes to cyber security to protect your devices from running down, which will result in a series of damages, and to protect confidential information.
To safeguard your devices, here are the top 8 cyber security tips for you:
- Keep your software up to date: Software companies typically provide software updates for three reasons: to add new features, fix known bugs, and upgrade security. To secure your device against current or existing security problems, always upgrade your software to the most recent version. What you have to do is turn on automatic system updates for your device, make sure your desktop web browser uses automatic security updates, and keep your web browser plugins like Flash, Java, etc. updated.
- Use Strong and vary your Passwords & Use a Password Management Tool: It's likely that you've heard that using strong passwords is essential for internet safety. In order to avoid hackers from accessing your personal information and privacy, strong passwords are very essential. It is also advised that you should use a strong combination of words to avoid hackers from invading your account easily. In accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) 2017 revised password policy framework, you should consider the following: LastPass, KeePass, Dashlane, 1Password, and Roboform are all excellent apps. Many provide free versions, while others are completely free. Additionally, if you use a cloud drive like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or something similar, you may keep the password database there and access it from anywhere. What you should do is,
- Choose a more user-friendly option that has a minimum of eight characters and a maximum of 64 characters.
- Don’t use the same password twice, the password should contain at least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and four symbols but not the following.
- Choose something that is easy to remember and never make it publicly accessible for hackers to see, reset your password when you forget it. But even so, change it once per year.
3. Use Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication: This authentication security has been added to any device like smartphones and androids to tighten your devices’ security. Two-factor or multi-factor authentication is a service that improves the security of the standard password method of online identification.
If two-factor authentication was not available, you would generally enter a login and password. When utilizing two-factor authentication, you must enter a second type of identities, such as a personal identification code, a different password, and even your fingerprints. Under multi-factor authentication, you would be required to provide more than two extra authentication methods after entering your username and password.
4. Install Anti-Virus Software: Malware and computer viruses are common. Computers are protected from malicious malware and unauthorized code by antivirus software like Bitdefender, Panda Free Antivirus, Malwarebytes, and Avast. Viruses can cause consequences that are obvious, such as slowing down your computer or deleting important information, or they can be less obvious. Antivirus software is essential for protecting your device since it detects real-time threats and saves your data. Some reducing security software solutions provide automatic updates, further protecting your computer from new threats that appear on a daily basis. Remember to run your antivirus software after installing it. To keep your computer virus-free, run or program routine virus scans.
5. Protect Your Sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII): Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is any data that a cybercriminal could use to discover or identify a specific person. PII includes names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, IP addresses, location data, and other physical or digital identifying data. Companies that follow PCI DSS requirements should protect your credit card details.
6. Use Your Mobile Devices Securely: Your mobile device is now a target for more than 1.5 million new cases of mobile malware, according to McAfee Labs. Here are some quick mobile device security tips:
● Make a Difficult Mobile Passcode Using Anything Other Than Your Birthdate or Bank PIN
● Install Apps from Reliable Sources
● Maintain Device Updates - Hackers Take Advantage of Security flaws in Unfixed Older Operating Systems
● Sending PII or sensitive information by text message or email is not recommended.
● Leverage Find my Iphone or the Android Device Manager to prevent loss or theft
● Use mobile backups like iCloud or Enable Backup & Sync from Android
7. Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi: Never connect to a public WiFi network without a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
When VPN software is activated, the connection between your device and the VPN server is hidden. As a result, a hacker will have a significantly difficult time accessing your data on your smartphone.
8. Review Your Online Accounts & Credit Reports Regularly for Changes: Consumers must now more than ever protect their online accounts and keep an eye on their credit reports in light of the recent Equifax breach. The best way to protect your credit history information from hackers now is to set a credit freeze on it. In essence, using a personal identification number (PIN) allows you to secure your credit privately. Then, if necessary, apply for credit.
Cybersecurity threats are becoming more common, so it's very important to understand what you can do to secure your information online. However, staying safe from cyberattacks is hard these days. When hackers are constantly looking for new ways to uncover security flaws, it's challenging to keep up.
While there is no permanent way to prevent a cyberattack, there are several things you can do to reduce the risk.
Key Sources:
Carlson, B. (2021, October 7). Top cybersecurity statistics, trends, and
facts. CSO Online. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3634869/top-cybersecurity-statistics-trends-and-facts.html
Chen, S. (2022, September 28). 21 Cybersecurity Tips and Best Practices for Your Business [Infographic]. TitanFile. https://www.titanfile.com/blog/cyber-security-tips-best-practices/
Freedman, M. (2022, October 20). 18 Ways to Secure Your Devices From Hackers. Business News Daily. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/11213-secure-computer-from-hackers.html