Basic rules of cybersecurity

Everyone stores a lot of important data digitally and no one wants it to get into the wrong hands. The danger can be everywhere. For example, you might be stalked by a persistent partner who tries to access your social media accounts or you could suffer from hackers and scammers who want to get your bank account. That’s why we will tell you about ways to protect yourself from such situations.

Use a proxy or a VPN

When you connect to WiFi in a public place, such as a cafe, airport, or hotel, you share the network with strangers. In this case, intruders can intercept your data. Although connections are safer now due to HTTPS and proxies, a VPN service can still be useful. It allows you to first connect to a virtual private network and then to the entire Internet, using the additional security level.

As a rule, paid VPNs or proxies are much more reliable. That’s why it is better to buy private Brazil proxies than to download them for free. Moreover, you can do it on soax.com at a good price.

Update programs and applications on time

Many hackers exploit vulnerabilities in outdated programs, so you’d better check the version of your browser, PDF reader, and other utilities. An up-to-date version helps you avoid hacker attacks because manufacturers make fixes to their products when new viruses appear. Postponing updates is like leaving your apartment door unlocked.

The advice is relevant not only for individual programs. Don’t forget to update the router and modem firmware and install operating system updates. It isn’t necessary to have the latest OS. Security updates are often released even for previous versions of operating systems.

Use a password manager

Many people use two or three passwords for all their accounts but this is very dangerous. It’s not so bad if someone hacks your account at a music service. But if you used the same password at an online bank, you could lose your savings.

To avoid having to remember various combinations, install a special program that automatically creates complex combinations and remembers them for you. It is called a password manager. People often use too simple combinations that are easy to remember and hack. So let a password manager create passwords for you.

Install an antivirus

If you use Windows 10, you have the built-in antivirus called “Microsoft Defender”. It may be enough if you don’t visit questionable websites and don’t download suspicious files but it’s better to be more careful. There is less malware for macOS so it isn’t necessary to install an antivirus. But you still can do it to be safe.

Use an ad blocker

Sometimes it is enough for hackers to let the user visit a certain site to get their data. Therefore, be sure to install an ad blocker. It will protect you from malware embedded in ads and news.

Don’t install questionable extensions

Extensions can access a huge amount of your data, such as your browsing history, or even change the way this data is shown to you. So choose programs very carefully. Install only programs you really need from the official browser store.

Make copies of important files

If you’re afraid that hackers can destroy or block important documents, be sure to make copies. This should be done offline and copies should be saved to an external hard drive that is not connected to your computer. Save copies to a reliable and trusted cloud service as the hard drive or SSD may fail.