In today’s technology world, there are many cybersecurity concerns that arise daily. Fear not though, as there are ways you can keep yourself safe and protected while you go about your daily browsing!

Be Wary of Your Emails

Whether it is your personal email or work email, 36% of all data breaches occur due to phishing and 90% of breaches with a company occur due to phishing. Even though an email may seem legitimate you should always be wary as emails can be masked. You should always verify the email address of the sender to ensure you are receiving the email from a legitimate source. You should also verify any links before clicking on them to ensure they go to legitimate websites. Clicking on malicious links can install unwanted software on your device even if you don’t intend for that to happen. The same can happen with any files that are attached to emails.

Update your devices and applications

To ensure your devices are not vulnerable, ensure to update them in a timely manner. Updates can be released to patch critical vulnerabilities, which if left unpatched could lead to you devices being compromised. Recently there was critical vulnerability with VMware that if left unpatched, could lead to the user’s host machine being compromised and potential loss of data.

Password Hygiene

Passwords keep your accounts secure. Each account you have should have a unique password as if one account is compromised, other accounts could be compromised. Your passwords should not be easily guessable and contain at least one uppercase, one lowercase, one number and one special character and at least 12-16 characters in length. To add additional security to your passwords, consider using a password manager that will store and generate passwords for you. There are a variety of them can be utilized such as BitWarden or KeePass as examples.

Be aware of your social media posts

While it may seem harmless to post personal information on your social media accounts, bad actors can use this information to gain unauthorized access to your accounts and make inferences about you. As an example, if you get a new pet and post about it online, then use their name as a security question, a bad actor can use that information to get into your account if they have your username and password.

Use Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Where you can, you should enable Multi-factor authentication on your accounts to add an additional layer of protection. If a bad actor gains access to your credentials, having MFA can prevent unauthorized access to your accounts. There are many different ways to enable MFA on your accounts and can be done by sending SMS codes to your device. This is the most common method of MFA, but others can include authentication apps such as Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, and Duo.

Be wary of public wifi

Many public internet connections do not have encryption mechanisms which leaves your data vulnerable. If you have ever gone to your local coffee shop to do work, any data you have sent can be intercepted and viewed by anyone who is connected to that internet. To encrypt your data if you are connected to a public wireless connection, you should utilize a VPN client. This helps keep your data secure and prevents sensitive information you may be sending from being intercepted and breach.

Conclusion

Utilizing these tips can help you keep your devices secure and your information protected. Bad actors have become more creative and their methods have evolved over the years, but by staying alert and vigilant you can keep yourself safe.