15 Feb Cyber Security tips for your online safety.
This period of a pandemic has brought many to work online. Working online however poses quite a number of risks, major of which is losing your important information to cybercriminals. Here are few tips to help keep you safe while you’re at it
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Keep a strong password.
Passwords are important in keeping hackers away from your information and are therefore critical to your online security. Use a strong password made up of various letter cases, numbers as well as special characters to reduce the possibility of prediction. You should so well to reset or change your password as often as possible avoiding the repetition of already used ones. Choose something that is easy to remember and never leave a password hint out in the open or make it publicly available for hackers to see
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Use two factor or multi-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication is a service that adds an additional layer of protection to your account. This sign-in method requires additional information aside from just your username and password, ranging from a PIN number sent to your personal mobile device or registered email address, to a fingerprint authentication. Multifactor methods use this same approach, but require even more information than the two-step authentication.
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Update your software as often as possible
Cybercriminals can easily access information on your computer through outdated software. Updating them means closing off those access avenues thereby keeping your information safe. An easy way to do this without having to remember is to set automatic updates. Ensure your desktop web browser uses automatic security updates. Keep your web browser plugins like Flash, Java, etc. updated
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Take advantage of firewall and antivirus protection.
Anti-Virus software blocks malware and other malicious viruses from entering your device and compromising your data. A firewall on the other hand filters the activity coming into your system, stopping malicious software and hackers before they get in. Make sure to Use anti-virus software and firewall protection only from trusted vendors Learn more about firewall from our recent article. – What is a firewall & why you need one?
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Beware of Phishing scams and learn to avoid them.
Phishing scams can be so hard to spot, especially for those who are not sure of what to look out for. Scammers often pose as businesses or familiar persons just to get you to share your personal details via mail. People reported losing up to 30 million dollars to these crimes in a single year. Here are a few tips on how to identify and avoid phishing emails.- Don’t take the bait – How to avoid the phishing net
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Use your mobile devices securely
In recent times, hackers do not only target desktop computers but mobile devices as well. A few means of keeping them safe are by using a secure password, installing updates ASAP, using apps only from trusted developers and backing up your data regularly.
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Avoid the use of public Wi-fi
Public Wi-Fi is another large platform by which hackers get access to your private information. If you must use public Wi-Fi, always use either a VPN. By using a VPN, the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. This means it’s much more difficult for a cybercriminal to obtain access to your data on your device. Read this. Why You Need VPN It is best to use the data on your mobile device to access the information you need if a VPN is unavailable.
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