We live in a connected world and we use technology for just about everything. It’s important to be aware of the risks associated with using these devices, even if it’s just on your personal time. Here are some cybersecurity tips to help protect you from potential hackers. In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness month, let’s look at 5 Cyber Security basic tips.
Use Strong Passwords
You\’ll need to create a password to do just about everything on the Web, from checking your email to online banking. And while it’s simpler to use a short, easy-to-remember password, this can also pose serious risks to your online security. To protect yourself and your information, you’ll want to use passwords that are long, strong, and difficult for someone else to guess while still keeping them relatively easy for you to remember.
A favorite resource of mine can be found here: https://passwordsgenerator.net/
Change Passwords Often
Conventional wisdom says that you should change your passwords every few months. For years, this was the advice given by security experts, and it’s still easy to find this advice online. However, a growing body of experts believe that as long as you have chosen strong passwords there is no need to change your passwords so often, unless you suspect or have evidence of a data breech.
Don’t Reuse Passwords
Reusing the same password on multiple accounts may be easier than coming up with a unique password for each one. But it’s definitely not recommended as it opens you up to a specialized attack called Credential Stuffing.
Don’t click on email links from untrusted sources
Phishing is an email attack attempting to trick you into either opening an attachment that contains a virus, clicking a web link that contains a virus, or visiting a website which creatively asks for personal information. As a general rule of thumb, don’t click links from untrusted sources.
Keep your device system software updated
Gadget updates take care of a lot of problems, but their most important application might be security. When disasters strike, they usually hit hardware that’s running outdated software. To prevent this, manufacturers will regularly roll out crucial patches that protect your laptop, phone, and other gadgets from the latest threats. To mitigate your exposure you should make a habit of keeping your devices up to date.
