Use software that manages your passwords
There are basic steps that everyone should take. Using strong passwords, authenticating through two factors, and downloading the latest security patches (updates) whenever they are available.
Experts differentiate between security and privacy when it comes to data. Security generally refers to preventing other people from gaining access to other people’s information – such as stealing a credit card number or hacking an account. Privacy is most often used when it comes to disabling tracking of movement (whether it is physical or online movement on various pages) that someone could use for advertising or surveillance.
Passwords should be long and unique for each site where the person is registered. You should never use something like 1234. There should be some randomness and other characters besides letters and numbers.
Due to the complexity of passwords and due to a large number of different ones, it is necessary and wise to use a password manager. That way, it is enough to remember only the password for it. Here is a comprehensive article about this topic that can be a helpful “tool” for upgrading your knowledge about cybersecurity. Ease of use is one of the features of this software that will make it much easier to search and use Google Chrome. Password Manager is a secure program with rich features.
Include two-factor authentication
The two-factor authentication option often appears when creating an account, and certain sites often remind you to turn it on later if you haven’t already. Even the biggest companies in the world are insisting on using it. You are usually asked to enter your mobile phone number, after which you will receive a message with an additional number that you enter before logging in.
Although this is the most common way, it is not the safest, as SMS messages can be intercepted by the Internet provider, the police, and other government organizations.
A better option is to use an application that receives that other factor, instead of SMS.
It is also possible to use a physical “key” that connects via USB or wireless, which is a very secure option.
Remove the latest security patches
Very rarely, application security issues are related to holes that exist in newer versions. Problems arise when some time passes, so a large number of people find out about the holes that exist. Fortunately, companies generally monitor these security issues closely, so they are throwing out patches for them. However, if you do not click on notifications of new updates, you will not be protected.
Beware of phishing
Not all attacks are the result of malware or hackers who inadvertently break into other people’s accounts. Sometimes people are simply tricked into giving their information to malicious people.
Phishing is a type of online scam where an attacker, most often by impersonation, tries to steal your username and password, or infect your computer, and it can happen to anybody.
This type of attack can be performed via email, SMS, or phone call. The best advice is to be careful because there are often signs that messages are not from reliable sources – typing errors, links to sites that are different from the ones they should lead to, or if the email comes from a strange domain.
It is recommended that, wherever possible, you go to settings and turn off personalized ads, which permits companies to track you in an invasive way.
Start with small things and continue step by step
When faced with all the problems related to security and privacy on the Internet, you can feel discouraged. That is why it is wise to deal with these things little by little.
You don’t have to make a list of all the accounts you have, so spend the day changing passwords or integrating them into the password manager – you can do this individually for each site the next time you log in to it.
Even the simplest things like strengthening passwords, enabling authentication through two factors, and increasing attention to whether you are a victim of fraud – will make your accounts much more secure. Then you just have to keep going.
The Internet is every day and in the future, we can only become even more attached to it. It is therefore important that all users know how data is collected and used, and how to protect it.
How to back up data
In today’s world of rapid change, backing up important files is very important for all users. Users mostly own their important files like music, movies, projects, or store photos in one place, on your computer or mobile device. When we are talking about the sales value of these devices, we can say that they are increasingly available to users, while the capacity of their memory space has been constantly increasing in the last few years. Yet, keeping important files in one place is a big risk.
Loss or theft of your computer, natural disaster, or intentional deletion of important files are just some of the ways you can run out of files that you put a lot of time and effort into creating. The only way to prepare for unexpected file loss is to devise a good creation strategy for backups, and even then, is doing backups enough?. There are many different ways to backup your content computers, and using multiple types of backups minimizes the risk of losing valuable files.
The simplest definition of a computer backup is to create an identical backup. When we are talking about computer files, we mean copies of the original files you have on your laptop, desktop, or external drive. Backup original content implies that the data is stored in two locations, but it is also important to make sure that these two locations are not on the same device.
USB is one of the most common media users use for saving backup files. They are easily portable, compatible with most computers, and relatively small in size. This makes them great for storing and transferring files such as presentations or other working documents.
Also Read: Home Office: How To Avoid IT Security Stumbling Blocks
