We hope that these personal cyber security guidelines will assist our readers in becoming more cyber aware. These security suggestions were prepared based on our expertise managing millions of security events for organisations and professionals throughout the world.
The Top Cyber Security Tips for Individuals
1. Keep Your Software Up to Date
Ransomware assaults were a major attack vector for both enterprises and consumers in 2017, as evidenced by the statistics above. Patching obsolete software, both operating systems and applications, is one of the most critical cyber security strategies for preventing ransomware.
This aids in the elimination of significant vulnerabilities that hackers exploit to gain access to your devices. Here are some pointers to help you get started:
Set your device to receive automatic system upgrades.
Make sure your desktop web browser downloads and instals security updates automatically.
Keep your web browser’s plugins, such as Flash and Java, up to date.
Check out our blog for best practises in patch management!
2. Install anti-virus software and a firewall
To combat malicious attacks, anti-virus (AV) protection software has been the most widely used approach. Malware and other harmful viruses are prevented from entering your device and corrupting your data by antivirus software. Use only one anti-virus tool on your device, and be sure it’s from a reputable vendor.
When it comes to protecting your data from hostile attacks, using a firewall is essential. A firewall protects your device by filtering out hackers, malware, and other dangerous behaviour that occurs over the Internet and deciding what traffic is allowed to enter. Windows Firewall and Mac Firewall are the firewalls that come with Windows and Mac OS X, respectively. To protect your network from threats, your router should include a firewall.
3. Create strong passwords and use a password manager
Strong passwords are essential for internet security, as you’ve probably heard. Passwords are crucial in keeping hackers away of your information! According to the new password policy framework published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2017, you should think about:
Getting rid of the wacky, convoluted combination of upper case characters, symbols, and numbers. Instead, choose something more user-friendly that is at least eight characters long and no longer than 64 characters.
Do not re-use the same password.
At least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and four symbols are required, but not the characters & percent #@ .
Choose a password that is simple to remember, and never put a password hint out in the open or in a place where hackers can see it.
If you forget your password, you can reset it. However, as a general refresh, alter it once a year.
Try utilising a password management tool or a password account vault to make managing your passwords easier. Individuals will find LastPass FREE to be a useful tool. LastPass provides a free account as well as a $2/month premium with additional password capabilities.
4. Authentication with two-factor or multi-factor
Two-factor authentication, often known as multi-factor authentication, is a service that adds additional layers of security to the traditional password-based method of online identity. You would ordinarily input a username and password without two-factor authentication. However, if you use two-factor authentication, you will be asked to provide an extra authentication method such as a Personal Identification Code, another password, or even your fingerprint. After entering your login and password, you’ll be required to input more than two additional authentication methods with multi-factor authentication.
SMS delivery should not be utilised during two-factor authentication, according to NIST, because malware can be used to attack mobile phone networks and compromise data in the process.
5. Become aware of phishing scams and be wary of emails, phone calls, and pamphlets.
This year’s phishing scams are nastier than ever, according to a new blog post. In a phishing technique, the attacker impersonates someone or something that the sender is not in order to mislead the recipient into disclosing credentials, clicking a malicious link, or opening an attachment that infects the user’s machine with malware, trojans, or zero-day vulnerability exploits. This frequently results in a ransomware attack. In reality, phishing attempts are the source of 90% of ransomware outbreaks.
The following are some crucial cyber security tips to keep in mind when dealing with phishing schemes:
In conclusion, do not open emails from persons you do not know.
Know which links are safe and which are not hover your mouse over a link to see where it leads.
In general, be wary of emails sent to you; check to see where they came from and if there are any grammatical issues.
Friends who have also been affected can provide malicious links. As a result, take extra precautions!
