Our computers are the greatest invention since sliced bread. We use them for everything online, from shopping to banking, and browsing the web for all types of media and content. We keep all of our important information on our computers including passwords, login information for just about every service we use, and all types of personal information.
Unfortunately, you might not be the only one accessing your data. Hackers and worms are trying to infect your network, spyware on your computer is reporting activities back to its master server and trojans might even be lurking on your device disguised as helpful programs. Best case scenario, you have to shell out some money to get your computer repaired.
Worst case scenario, your computer is a breeding ground for privacy breaching programs and even criminal activity.
When it comes to computer security, it’s impossible to create an impenetrable network or device. But with these tips, you can prevent yourself from becoming the “low hanging fruit” that malware and hackers target, protecting yourself from most attacks.
Update Your Operating System
Here’s the thing - the people who built your computer are human and there will inevitably be bugs (programming errors) built into your machine. These errors can be manipulated to become security vulnerabilities, which is why Apple, Microsoft and the various Linux distros are putting out patches to fix these issues.
Update Your Apps
The same concept applies with common apps that you use on your device. Web browsers, Adobe Shockwave, Flash, and Reader, Microsoft Office and Oracle Java are common targets simply because they are used so frequently.
You can purchase a program that routinely searches for application updates, run Linux commands to update your programs, or if you are a Microsoft user, you can download File Hippo App Updater. This app can be configured to search your apps every day at a particular time, download updates, and install them.
Install and Update Antivirus Software
Antivirus software protects you on the go, scanning emails and files as they are used, opened or downloaded. If a known virus is found, this software will stop you from being able to run the nefarious program.
But again, you’ll want to update this software. If you don’t, your software won’t know about any new viruses that have been released into the wild since your last update, or even install.
Download an Anti Malware Program
Anti malware programs don’t offer real time protection but periodically scan your computer for unwanted programs. This software can often detect malignant code that antivirus programs don’t pick up on, so it’s recommended to have antivirus and antimalware programs.
For the vigilant, there are anti spyware programs as well. Windows users can download SuperAnitSpyware for free. Like antivirus software, you will want to keep these programs database definitions updated as well, so if a security vulnerability presents itself, your software will be ready to locate and patch it.
Firewall
Even if you have antivirus, anti malware and anti spyware programs installed, you are still susceptible to unreported, unknown, or unpatched vulnerabilities.
If new security holes in the software of operating system are detected, using a firewall will block many attempts to get through these holes.
Windows users can use the built in firewall which is actually quite robust and can be fine grained to your specific needs. Or if you are a “set it and forget it” person, you can download Comodo Firewall for Windows which does much of the heavy lifting.
Linux users will be familiar with IPtables, the firewall built into most Linux distros. If you are new to Linux, there are graphical user interface firewall applications you can use and configure to your liking.
Mac users have a built in firewall, which they will want to turn on.
Backup Your Data
I experienced a hard drive failure myself and needed to update to an SSD just recently. Luckily, my computer data was backed up to an external hard drive. You can take extra security measures by encrypting your external hard drive if you would like.
You may also back your data up to the cloud. If you do, be sure to enable two-factor authentication on your cloud accounts with applications like Google’s Authenticator app or Authy.
Additionally, you’re going to want to use a password manager to ensure your cloud account passwords are strong and unique. Lastpass is an example, and if you want to really lock down your accounts, you can set up two-factor authentication to use Lastpass as well.
Windows and Mac both have built in backup programs to simplify the process. Linux users can also use backup programs or run some easy terminal commands to backup and/or compress their data.
Be Wary of File Extensions
Particularly if you are opening a file sent as an email attachment. Although this is more of an issue with Windows computers, everyone should opt to display entire file extensions to look out for questionable files.
Here’s an example for Windows - you might receive a virus sent through email in the form of a picture. When you click on the picture, you activate the executable file and download run that dangerous program.
Suspicious files often contain two periods - so something like foo.jpg.exe will be something you want to avoid clicking on. If you do not display the entire file extension, all you will see is foo.jpg and will likely click the picture.
Email Security
If you value your privacy, don’t display pictures in your email program by default. These pictures often contain tracking cookies and the company sending your email will be able to tell if you opened it, what links you clicked on, if you forwarded it, and more.
If you do not know who sent the email, don’t ever open any email attachment. Even if you do know who sent the email, never open attachments that end with .exe, .pif, .com or .bat.
These are some basic, easy things you can do to significantly decrease your chances of being attacked by unwanted programs, hackers or snoops. Take these precautions and you are on your way to having a secure computer.
Has your business, within the surrounding area, been targeted by criminal activity?
Have you witnessed an escalation in crime in the community where your business is based?
Is your business directly vulnerable to crime after business hours and at the night?
If so, placing business security alarms on your property does more than just avoid loss.
It deters property crime in the first place.
Have a look at our blog for more details!
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The Internet is open for everyone, including the corrupt people that want to steal money and resources from others.
Therefore, cyber attackers can also target you anytime as long as you are online.
To stay away from these threats, you first need to learn what mistakes to avoid while accessing the internet and especially when downloading something.
Almost 9 out of 10 cyber assaults become successful when a user downloads something to their device.You can protect yourself from these attacks by avoiding these 5 things while downloading files:Installing Cloned and Malicious AppsDownloading applications from the web can sometimes be pretty dangerous.
When you save apps to your device from random sites, you might somehow download a cloned app that can steal information from your device.
The results are very horrifying as these apps can read your bank account credentials and send them to the attackers.
It’s not enough to do things right, you also have to avoid doing things wrong.
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