Here are some very useful tips for cyber security by Peter DeCaprio
Here are some very useful tips for cyber security by Always Keep Your System Up-to-Date:
Your Operating System should always be up-to-date because many times cyber criminals exploit the vulnerability of outdated system so it’s important to update your system regularly through Windows update or other software update method available on your system. Also Update all other applications like Adobe Reader, JAVA, FLASH ETC…
Use a Firewall:
It’s very important to use a proper firewall on your system. Here I am going to tell you two type of firewalls which will be helpful for you. The first one is Pfsence and the second one is CSF ( Config Server Firewall). Pfsence is available in both Linux a windows operating system while csf firewall can only be installed on linux based systems.
Never Share Your Private/Personal Information Over Internet:
Never share your personal information such as Credit Card or other financial data over internet because cyber criminals are always ready to hack your data so give maximum preference to Privacy rather than Publicity.
Always Follow a Secure Password Policy:
It’s very important to follow a secure password policy because if your password is not strong then it can be hacked by using Brute Force Attack, Dictionary Attack. Here I am going to give you some tips for creating a strong password which will be helpful for you.
Don’t Connect in Public WiFi:
It’s very important to stay away from public and open WiFi because it might be the biggest reason of your downfall in cyber world. Hackers can use this kind of networks for stealing your sensitive information such as credit card number, password etc… So avoid using these networks when you are browsing internet.
Always Use Encrypted Secure Mode On Social Networking Sites:
While using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter etc we generally ignore one thing that whether our account is encrypted or not? It’s always safe and secure if you login into encrypted mode on social networking sites then only you will keep your data secured by hackers. Here is the process of enabling encrypted mode of social networking sites.
Store any Sensitive Data Over Network Drives Only If Necessary:
If you are working as an individual or small business organization then it’s not a compulsory to store your data on Network Drives because all of the drives will be connected to single computer so its very easy for Hackers, Viruses etc… To find your sensitive data from drive if any one of them is not encrypted.
Always keep an eye on Email Attachments:
We generally receive lots of mails daily from our friends; family members and other people that why they send EMAILS rather than SMS’s? The reason is only because we usually open our mails as soon as possible but don’t pay much attention over email attachment which may carry some virus or spyware inside it. So always does this thing check out email attachments before opening them?
Use Drive Encryption Software:
Don’t you think it’s much secure to encrypt your sensitive data physically rather than logically. Some software’s and utilities are also available for free which allows you to encrypt your files using strong encryption algorithms such as AES, Two fish etc… so these kinds of utilities provide much better security then logical drive encryption.
Use Firewall:
A firewall is one of the most important tools that can protect your computer from any unauthorized access and it works on Network Level (NIC) i.e.; before sending or receiving any network packets, first check them with Firewall and if it blocks anything at all then drop the packet immediately because we never know what kind of malicious activities might be going inside those packets. If you want maximum protection to your computer then always enable Windows Firewall.
Handle Your Credentials Carefully:
According to Peter DeCaprio If you are running online Banking services on any website or applications then it’s must for you to handle your credentials carefully because many websites use Cookies also for storing users sensitive information which is again not much secure. So if you want maximum security while using online banking etc… then always go with HTTPS browsing option and don’t forget to check the URL address before login into any application or webpage.
Disable AutoPlay Option:
At present time most of the Operating Systems comes with Autoplay enabled by default so whenever we plug in our USB flash drive to any system, autoplay starts loading file automatically without asking any confirmation. So if your system gets infected with virus and it hides in USB flash drive then autoplay will without any confirmation load that files into your computer which might get you hacked. So it’s always better to disable Autoplay option from Control Panel or Start Menu’s–> Settings option.
Conclusion:
So these are some very common tips which every computer user must be aware of so if you follow all or most of these tips then it will surely protect your PC from getting hacked, Viruses etc… Moreover if we keep on changing our passwords frequently then it will also provide extra security to our accounts and data.