The internet is a dangerous place. Your information and devices are always at risk.
Below are 5 tips for keeping your devices and information secure:
- Make strong passwords.
- Don’t reuse passwords.
- Keep software up to date.
- Practice good online hygiene.
- Backup!
Make strong passwords.
Passwords are one of the few things between your sensitive information and thieves. Don’t use ‘password123’ for your bank account. Not even ‘P@$$w0rd123’. Just don’t.
The longer the password the better. Check out diceware if you are interested in strong passwords that are easy to remember.
Don’t reuse passwords
Passwords are hard to remember, so people often reuse the same ones over and over again. Because of this, thieves can log in to a bank account using the same password stolen from Facebook.
With so many passwords to remember, use a password manager. There are lots of options, but some good ones are: lastpass, 1password, and dashlane.
Keep software up to date
Some flaws in computer software give attackers direct access to your sensitive information. Keeping your software up to date is the only way to install the fixes that software developers make to patch these holes.
But, don’t update while on the road. Update at home before you travel. Check out this article from Krebs to learn more: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/05/fbi-updates-over-public-net-access-bad-idea/.
Practice good online hygiene
You’ve heard it before, but:
- Don’t click links
- Don’t open attachments
- Choose your friends wisely
Thieves are always looking for a way in. Opening a malicious link or an attachment from someone you don’t know–sometimes even the ones your friend forwarded–gives thieves direct access to your device.
There is a lot of information posted online via social media or other mediums. Sometimes, all an attacker needs is a few tidbits of information they saw on your feed. If your pet’s name is one of your security questions, sharing it with your friends on social media might be all a thief needs to steal your password. Know who your online friends are.
Backup
No solution is perfect, and bad things happen. The best way to recover is to have backups ready.
It’s not all doom and gloom, there are lots of good cat videos out there to watch, but if you follow these tips, your information will be less at risk!