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Did you know that every 39 seconds, a new cyberattack is reported? It means that, on average, 2200 cyber-attacks happen in a day. The purpose of these attacks is to gain access to private information, such as bank details, confidential business data, or even personal identification information.
Generally, all this information is saved on your Smartphone, PC, or MacBook. Therefore, protecting your devices and sensitive information from hackers and intruders has become crucial.
Now, the question is how to safeguard your device? Fortunately, there are some simple practices that you can follow to protect your personal information and devices. Keep reading to learn more!
Install Antivirus
Malware is the most common type of cyber threat that infects phones, PC or Mac. It can enter into the device through an email attachment, download link, or unauthorized software and can affect the device’s operating system. Furthermore, it can drain the system’s battery and also restrict access to certain files.
To avoid such a situation, you should install antivirus software on all your devices. It’ll help in detecting real-time threats, thus helping to safeguard all your vital data.
Create backups
If you are not backing up all your data, you should start doing so right away. Backups are essential as they will ensure that you haven’t lost any crucial files or photographs due to deletion or malware attacks. There are numerous ways in which you can keep a backup copy on your device. For instance, you can use Google Photos, iCloud, Time Machine, USB, or an external hard drive.
Set strong passwords
From unlocking the system to logging into social media accounts, you need to enter passwords. If the passwords are short and easy, intruders will easily invade the system and get access to confidential information.
That’s why you need to set strong and complex passwords for all your devices as well as accounts. You can create passwords by combining letters, numbers, and symbols. Use both lower and upper case letters and use at least eight characters.
Note: Don’t use names and birthdays as passwords as they are very easy to crack. Also, try using different passwords for different applications and devices. So that in case the hacker cracks one of your passwords, your other information stays safe.
Upgrade your OS and applications
It is essential that you keep your device up to date. The reason is that most of the updates include security and bug fixes. It improves the performance of devices and also prevents intruders from accessing data.
Furthermore, you should also check the browser security settings. It can help in elevating online privacy and also prevent websites from tracking your movements.
Note: You should change the system settings to automatic updates. So that every time a new update comes, your device immediately installs it. As a result. it will help in strengthening the information security of your device.
To sum it all up!
Rising cyber threats are a warning that you must not ignore at any cost. It is essential that you take every possible step to protect your privacy and device. Luckily, with all these simple practices, you’ll be able to do that.
