As time goes on and technology continues to progress, your sensitive information has more virtual guards keeping it safe. Unfortunately, hackers are improving right along with that protective technology. If you fall behind with new and improved defense methods, hackers will be able to find more and more gaps in your security to weasel through, getting their hands right on all of the things you want to keep safe. Keep reading to find out all of the best ways to keep hackers at bay.
Set Secure Passwords
There are plenty of articles online covering the importance of strong passwords, like this one from How To Geek. Using the same password for every site or every account you have is considered a bad move. So is picking something simple, like your favorite food, or personal information that you think might be hard to find but is actually pretty easily located, like the college you graduated from. Take a look at what the pros say regarding password protection. You don’t need a senseless mishmash of letters and numbers differing from site to site, but you should check out your current passwords to make sure they don’t have any glaring flaws.
Use Firewalls and Virus Scanners
This is your first line of defense against hackers. One of the most common ways that they get access to your information is by transferring a virus onto your computer that they can then manipulate your data through. Firewalls are built to block those viruses as they come in. Virus scanners exist to check your system for anything the firewall might have missed. Just make sure you pick a scanner that’s reputable, because many hackers disguise their viruses as helpful tools to beat viruses.
Be Mindful of What You Open
Another common way that hackers infect computers is by tricking people into opening infected files. These files can be buried in links that you thought were legitimate, or they can arrive in the form of emails from seemingly important or familiar people. The general rule of thumb? If you don’t know who is sending you an attachment, don’t open it. If you do know the person but the attachment seems fishy, don’t open it, either! It’s possible that the person’s account was hacked and is being used to spread the virus.
Use Virtual Privacy Networks
What Is A VPN? Good question. It’s an encrypted network system that can help you add an extra layer of protection to your information. Sites VNPs ‘R Us offer a detailed look at VPNs, what they can do for you, and how they work.
By combining these tactics and simply being mindful about how you conduct your business online, you can greatly reduce your chances of being hacked.