As time progresses we’ve come to rely more and more on technology for our daily bread. The internet has, established itself as an integral part of our lives. However, despite the many advantages of the internet, there are a lot of dangers, which is why online security is something you should have a heads up on.
The different threats online are plentiful and can range from ransomware attacks to identify theft; these attacks are intensified when working directly from home. Whether you work remotely, are a student or just hop on the internet from time to time for personal reasons, having sound cybersecurity policies in place is integral to protecting your sensitive data, such as your personal affix, online.
In this particular article, we’ll be going through 7 ways that you can improve your home cyber security situation – so continue reading for that.
- Avoid Public Hotspots
You can find free hotspots just about anywhere, nowadays, however, hackers are always on the prowl, and find these hotspots a perfect target. Public networks lack security, which means, any information that you enter (into a website) while logged onto it, can be sniped.
To avoid falling victim to any of that, make sure not to log into any sensitive sites, like PayPal or your bank account. Also make sure you’ve fully logged out of these sites, before logging onto a public network.
- Separate Your Devices for Both Work and Personal Use
It may be difficult at first, but it’s very important that you separate your personal life from your home life, especially if you work directly from home.
While it may seem like an inconvenience, having to switch device when paying your bills online or when shopping. Keeping both your work and home devices separate from one another, will help to reduce the amount sensitive data that is compromised, in the event that either your work or home device is hacked.
- Never Ignore Updates
A lot of people are guilty of cancelling software and Windows updates, as and when they are made available. As they always seem to appear while you’re doing something. Clicking on the “remind me” button is much easier than enduring the update process. One thing we forget to remember is just how important these updates are.
These updates aren’t released solely to improve the stability or capabilities of your program or operating system, they are created to plug up known security flaws in it.
A lot of devices can be configured to apply updates automatically, leaving it up to the user to restart the computer so that the update process can complete.
Depending on how you have Windows configured, it should be set to automatic updates. However, when it comes to third-party tools and programs, you’re probably going to have to check. There are other alternatives, such as secure SaaS applications, over your installable ones, as this eliminates the issue of apps and programs being outdated. It also puts the entire management of the app in the hands of the creator.
SaaS or Software as a service, is the latest way of delivering software via the internet. Instead of going through the painstaking process of installing and maintaining your apps, you simply access it directly through the net, freeing you of all the responsibility typically assigned to the app owner.
- Only Give Out Needed Information
A lot of the sites that you access or shop on, will ask for personal information about you, before making a purchase, for example. You should only ever give the information that is required. If much of the information, such as phone numbers and addresses are optional, then you should skip them. The more information you give out, the easier it is for cybercriminals to steal your identity.
Also, before making any commitments to any sites, be sure to read through their privacy policy, as this will tell you exactly what they will do with the information you provide them with.
- Go with a Password Manager
If you work for a company that doesn’t use a password manager, then you should go out and get one yourself. They are capable of a number of things. Such as, creating and remembering strong passwords. They also make it possible for you to create unique passwords for every account that you make.
This is especially important, if you any one of your accounts was to be compromised, as the hacker would only have access to that single account, essentially, protecting your other accounts. Most of these password manager tools will also allow you to store sensitive information, such as credit card details, and other related data.
Some of these tools also help with multi-factor authentication. If you’re interested in going down that path, there are many password managers out there you can try.
- Avoid Email Scams
Make sure you have an eye out for cybercriminals that like to send out malicious files attached in emails – usually under the guise of being a special offer. You should also avoid opening certain emails, especially ones that contain attachments – if it’s from someone you don’t know. Another method many of these cybercriminals like to deploy, involves sending fake emails that pretend to be from your bank or some other financial institution, saying that you’re personal data is outdated.
If you think the email looks a little unusually, then you should call your bank immediately and seek confirmation before you click on anything or enter any details.
- Back Up Your Data
Despite all the various options out there, a lot of companies and organisations do not back up their data.
Loss of data can result of many different circumstances, such as physical damage, to human error to cyberattacks. If you run a company that suffers actual client data loss, then you are essentially losing the most important asset your business has. The unfortunate reality is that many companies don’t realise this until it’s too late.
Even for those organisations that do have security measures in place, they too can find themselves at risk. Sometimes, a backup can fail or the wrong data may be backed up. Studies have shown that only around 50% of all actual backups prove to even work.
One of the most common, reliable, and cost effective ways that you can back up all your data is through the use of the cloud.
If you haven’t implemented the cloud into your business, then maybe today is the day. Not only will your data be more secure than it would, if you were on a physical server, but it also allows for your employees to work remotely – accessing this same data from virtually anywhere in the world.
–AUTHOR INFO—
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk
