Today’s organizations face growing susceptibility to cyber dangers. Attackers frequently target emerging technologies because the new technology is frequently unprepared to manage an attack. Furthermore, dangerous links, Trojans, and infections have proliferated on the internet.
The urge to keep up with new and emerging technology frequently forces enterprises to make changes to their IT infrastructure. However, this frequently results in a weakened security posture, making attacks easier for threat actors. With the expansion in online operations, the risk of cyber-attacks has considerably increased.
We hope that these personal cyber security suggestions will help our readers become more cyber-aware. These security suggestions were prepared based on the expertise of security experts world renown organizations and professionals throughout the internet.
Software updates
According to the recent statistics, ransomware assaults were a significant threat vector in 2017 for both consumers and enterprises. Patching obsolete software, including operating systems and programs, is among the most crucial cyber security advices to reduce ransomware. By doing this, you can help close important security holes that hackers use to access your devices. To help you get started, consider these brief tips:
- Set your device up to get automatic system upgrades.
- Ensure automatic security updates are enabled on your desktop web browser.
- Keep your web browser’s plugins, such as Java, updated.
Anti-Virus & Firewall
Antivirus (AV) software protection has been the most popular method of resisting to hostile assaults. Malware and other harmful viruses are prevented from accessing your device and corrupting your data by antivirus software. Use antivirus programs from reputable providers, and only have one AV application running on your system.
Another crucial step in protecting your data from unwanted attacks is the use of a firewall. A firewall controls what traffic is allowed to reach your device and assists in blocking hackers, malware, and other harmful Internet activities. The firewalls included with Windows and Mac OS X are appropriately termed Windows Firewall and Mac Firewall. A firewall should also be included in your router to shield your network from threats.
Strong Passwords & Password Managers
It’s likely that you’ve heard that using strong passwords is essential for internet safety. Passwords really are crucial for preventing hackers from accessing your info! You should take into account the following in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) 2017 revised password policy framework:
- Use an easy-to-remember alpha-numerical password with a variety of case-sensitive characters. Using the name of your best buddy as your password, for instance, but substituting special characters like @,$, etc. for the letters of the alphabet.
- Use new passwords only.
- Don’t leave any “clues” that could be used by an attacker to figure out your password in plain sight, such as a sticky note on the side of your keyboard, a list of your passwords in your workbook, or anything else.
- Pick a password with at least eight characters that is nevertheless simple to remember.
- To create new passwords while resetting, use a password management program (Like LastPass, Firefox password manager, Google Passwords, …).
- Before using it, change your password and log out of all of your active devices.
Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication
One of the services that strengthens the security of the traditional password methods of online identification is two-factor or multi-factor authentication. You would typically submit a username and password if two-factor authentication wasn’t available. However, when using two-factor authentication, you would be required to input a second form of identification, such as a Personal Identification Code, a different password, phone number verification, or even your fingerprint. After entering your username and password, you would be required to input more than two additional authentication methods under multi-factor authentication.
Avoid phishing scams
In an attempt to trick the recipient into disclosing credentials, clicking a dangerous link, or opening an attachment that infects the user’s machine with malware, a trojan horse, or an exploit for a zero-day vulnerability, the attacker adopts a false identity. This frequently triggers a ransomware assault. In actuality, phishing attempts are the source of 90% of ransomware attacks.
Several crucial cyber security advice on phishing tactics to keep in mind are as follows:
- Never open emails from unknown senders.
- Know which links to click on and which to avoid (hover over a link to discover where it directs to)
- Always be wary of emails sent to you, check to verify who sent it and whether any grammar mistakes are present.
- Friends who have also contracted the virus may send you malicious links. So, always proceed with caution!
Backup Your Data Regularly
Regular data backups are an underrated aspect of personal online security. The simple backup rule is followed by the finest IT and security administrators. Basically, you should retain three copies of your data—two on local and external hard drives and one off-site—on two different types of media (cloud storage)
The method to recover your data if you fall victim to malware or ransomware is to simply wipe your computers clean and restore from a recent backup.