Due to the nature of the profession, most people are wary of people practicing cybersecurity responsibilities. The tabooed nature of the job is understood under the lens of its secrecy and stereotyped mythical abilities that lead to a paranoid mindset that is completely abhorrent of its perceived crime.
The perception of cybersecurity is mostly based on the facade and to combat the paranoia, you have to open yourself to information. Learn the basics of cybersecurity – awareness is the key!
Once you do that, you will find out how important their role is in today’s climate. When threats and malicious viruses are attacking you from every domain, it becomes vital to learn how to protect yourself. This is something that even the most seasoned professionals often neglect.
For example, some people forget about keeping their online armor on at all times. They would casually use the same password for all applications – from social media to online banking, their passwords would be the same; making all of their digital assets vulnerable to threats in case even one of them gets exposed.
The point is, one can easily get flustered and become a victim of cybercrime–something cybersecurity proactively combats. But why wait for the time when your sensitive information is out there being misused and you’re in your most vulnerable state and have been forced to contact cybersecurity resources? Why not protect our data and information from vicious cyber criminals? After all, prevention is better than cure.
Well, we have five tips to give you that will not only change the way you see cybersecurity, but also increase your personal digital armor.
Use A VPN
There can’t be enough emphasis on how important the role of a VPN is in protecting your private information from being leaked. There are several best VPN software for windows. Make sure you invest in one today!
How do you make sure that your data is protected even from your internet service provider? How do you ensure that your information remains hidden when you use public Wi-Fi? Easy, you have to use a VPN!
A VPN gives you a unique IP address that masks your actual IP address, which works as an additional layer of protection for your device. Besides the regular advantages of a VPN are already known – unlimited bandwidth, access to blocked sites, faster streaming, etc.
Besides, when a VPN gives you protection from viruses and cybercrime, you buy a premium one without question.
Never Use One Email For Third-Party Websites
The one mistake that we often make is that we use the same email address to subscribe to all third-party websites that we subscribe to only daily basis. How does this affect you? Well, you’d be surprised to know that if either of these websites gets their servers hacked by a cybercriminal, they can get your personal data quite easily.
And once your credentials are in their hands, they can use it to access other private information and intrude your privacy to another level. But wait – is there a solution?
Of course, there is! All you need to do is create a random email account that has a dedicated password; don’t use it on any other account of yours. And whenever you are subscribing to a third-party website, use that password. You could say this will be your isolated account that is only for third-party websites. It will be helpful by protecting your actual and true information from being leaked.
Two-Factor Authentication
This is the best way to frustrate the hacker and gives you time to protect your account. All you have to do is use the two-factor authentication model and use it on your accounts. This will configure them to send you a notification to your phone anytime there’s an attempt by an unauthorized source to log in to your account.
Any cybercriminal can pick up your credentials from third-party websites and use them to intrude on your privacy – with two-factor authentication, you will instantly be notified of an intrusion that will give you time to change your password instantly.
Don’t Be Lazy When Choosing Passwords
Most of us are lazy and take a chance and reuse old passwords. One of the reasons is obvious, you don’t want to remember yet another password, and the other reason is that you don’t have to think of a new one.
But here's the thing: it’s important to change your password and have a unique set of numbers and alphabets for every account. Consider it a rule of thumb: create alphanumeric passwords with symbols.
Track Out Of Character Activities
There are times when you’re unaware that your friend’s account is hacked. You don’t realize it until it's too late. How? Well, they could be tracking you and indulging in out-of-character activities online. Like chatting with you even though in real life you wouldn’t be that close. It could be anything. Thus, the safest option here is to call them or message them on a private cellphone number to confirm whether your concern is true.
In Conclusion
Cybersecurity, as opposed to common belief, is actually good for all of us and nothing to be wary of. These professionals are helping us keep our digital assets safe. But one can ensure safety by following the five important tips mentioned above.
Thus, always keep an alphanumeric password with symbols, use a VPN, use a two-factor authentication model, and contact friends if you observe strange online behavior. And yes, never use the same email address to subscribe to a third-party website.
