Hello there. In this post I will talk about five simple tips that can increase your personal awareness when it comes to cyber security.
1. Update your software
Well that point is kind of no brainer. Usually software updates carry fixes for different problems and bugs. If there is any found vulnerability most of the time, the developers of the software would make a patch and send an update as soon as they can. Not all updates carry security stuff inside but actually you are not loosing anything. Also you can check in the description box what the update will include. That applies for all your electronics or platforms that you use on daily basis.
- Enable auto updates
- Check if your browser of choice is up to date
2. Avoid popups and all sorts of wired e-mails
That sounds like a no brainer but people actually click on popups or fill up some random forms with their personal information. The gallery bellow will show you how they look so you have some idea what to look for.
When it comes to emails – be careful for fishing campaigns. If you get a strange e-mail from your bank, or facebook asking you to click some link or reset your password and you are unsure that it is from them, well … call them and ask. If there is a security issue with your account I don’t think they would like to use the most unsecure way for you to reset a password or something of the sorts.
Taken from BleepingComputer.com 
Taken from BleepingComputer.com
3. Backup your data
This point is really important for non tech people or for people who doesn’t have good data hygiene. Why backing up your data is so important. Well in 2017 a virus (ransomeware) roamed the internet called WannaCry. The goal of WannaCry was to encrypt the user’s data and hold it hostage for money. If the user pays he would get the decryption key.
But if you have your photos on an external HDD or on the cloud that would not be a problem. I would advice to keep photos on external HDD. Documents can be kept on some cloud service, because in the end even the big companies get hacked.
4. Passwords and authentication
This is a no brainer as well. If you password is 1234 or 123456789 well … you are begging for it. I would suggest having different passwords for different accounts but that can get hard to track. There are several solutions to this particular point. You can use a password manager and even better combine that with Two Factor Authentication (2FA). There are different ways to do 2FA and I would suggest using Google’s Authenticator for Android or iOS. When it comes to password managers I would recommend for you to check the PCMag review of several of them and pick one. Here is the link to their article: https://uk.pcmag.com/password-managers/4296/the-best-password-managers
5. Use VPN
If you are out and about and you decide to do some browsing in the coffee store and use their WIFI, I would recommend using VPN. When I say VPN I mean payed VPN. There are many alternatives on the market such as Nord VPN, SurfShark VPN, TunnelBearVPN and many more. I personally use SurfShark VPN. So far there is nothing to complain about and actually you have added bonus which is watch the American Netflix for all of you from Europe.
So you reached the end. I hope those 5 tips are helpful and that you enjoyed reading.
