5 Simple Tips for Increasing Your At-Home Cyber Security
The internet has grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade. It now allows us to connect with family and friends, shop conveniently and even play casino games online. Today, as per example, it is easy to search on Google a secure online casino in Ireland and find vendors that let you play games and bet on sports while at home.
However, with these positives, still there are some negatives. Submitting your personal data when shopping or playing online can be dangerous especially if hackers get access to this data. The following simple tips will help you to ward off any cybersecurity threats when online.
1. Get an Anti-Virus & Firewall
One of the most effective ways of boosting your cybersecurity is by using Anti-virus protection software. An Anti-virus will help in fighting malicious attacks and blocking malware and other viruses from getting to your device to compromise your data. However, always procure and use such software from reputable vendors.
A firewall will also go a long way to defend your data from malicious attacks. It works by screening out hackers and other internet threats and determines what kind of traffic enters your device. Many operating systems normally come with their own in-built firewall systems. It is also advisable to incorporate a firewall in your router to escalate the level of security.
2. Never Use the Same Passwords
To ensure that hackers don’t access your data, never use the same password on multiple accounts. It may be tempting to do so, but it just increases the probability of being hacked everywhere. If you are worried about your ability to remember many varying passwords, try using a password management tool, and it will do the work for you.
In addition, always put in a lot of effort when creating your passwords. Avoid what is obvious and stay away from sequential numbers that are easy to predict. Also, try mixing up the characters by using lower-case and upper-case letters, symbols and numbers and unrelated words. This way, you’ll make your password more complicated, hence harder to be compromised.
3. Keep Your Software Updated
Using outdated software, operating systems and apps can put you at great risk of being hacked. New viruses are being unleashed on a daily basis and if your software is not updated, it becomes vulnerable to malicious attacks. Therefore, always use your devices with updated software to ensure you keep them operating as they should.
Usually, software updates come with critical patches that not only boost your cybersecurity but also your devices’ functionality. So, if you’ve always been postponing that reminder to update your browser plugins, it is now the best time to do so. In fact, you can even configure your device to alert you when a new software update is released.
4. Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication, in simple terms, is a service that adds an extra layer of security to the normal method of online identification. This means that apart from entering your username and password, you will be required to enter another authentication method when logging into an account. This can either be a fingerprint or a code that is sent by text to your mobile phone.
Although it can be a pain, multi-factor authentication increases the security of your accounts. A hacker can get access to your account when they learn of your password but with this authentication process in place, the password becomes useless. Therefore, if you value your personal data, always enable multi-factor authentication on all your accounts.
5. Use a VPN
To increase your security when connected to the internet, try using a virtual private network (VPN). This is especially in cases where you are using a public Wi-Fi network whose security status you are not aware of. This is because there may be another person on that same network who could intercept and steal the data that is being sent from your device.
A trusty VPN simply encrypts and routes your internet traffic via a server that is owned by the host company. This means that nobody, including the owner of the network, can snoop on you hence making it difficult for hackers to access your data. Additionally, it also masks your IP address thus making it hard for advertisers to geolocate you.
Conclusion
Hacking, malware and phishing incidents are the biggest causes of breaches to cybersecurity today. What is even more troubling is that these attempts often result from human errors in one way or the other. Being educated and aware about threats to online security is therefore critically important so that you don’t become a victim.
With the aforementioned tips, you can shop and transact online without any worries. Apart from these, always avoid opening unknown emails and clicking on suspicious links that may turn out to be phishing scams. Additionally, clean your browser’s cache and backup your data regularly in case the worst happens.
