Cyber attacks are becoming more common, so it is essential to practice basic cybersecurity tips to protect yourself. Hackers target every single person, including you! 78% of burglars check social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to see if you’re a potential target. So how do you protect yourself? Here are some tips. These tips are a start! Cyber attacks are often a result of human error, so implement them where you can.
Keep your passwords complex
Many cybersecurity experts recommend keeping your passwords complex. Complicated passwords are hard to remember. To avoid this problem, you can create sentence passwords. In this method, you change the first letters of words with symbols or numbers. For example, “for” can be changed to 4 using the # symbol. This method is also known as “words-by-symbols.”
While most hackers are unlikely to crack a simple password, keep in mind that even the best passwords are not impenetrable. People who don’t bother to think about their passwords are at a higher risk of having their accounts hacked. Also, try not to use personal information as a password. Hackers can easily find out your identity through social media, your online work profile, or listening to conversations.
To increase the level of security, choose a complex password with several different characters. A long password contains random characters and doesn’t contain dictionary words or common phrases. Passwords should be at least eight to 12 characters long and should consist of symbols, numbers, and capitalization. When choosing a password, use a password manager with a password analyzer. It will help you to pick strong passwords. The more complex and long the password, the more secure your accounts will be.
Ignore unsolicited emails
If you’re not familiar with this concept, it’s the technological equivalent of stranger danger. An unsolicited email from a stranger that includes an attachment is probably a hoax, but you can check for clues to the authenticity of the sender’s message by reading the body of the message or the email’s subject line. You might even recognize an unsolicited email from a friend or colleague and think it’s a legitimate one, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe.
If you do receive an unsolicited email asking you to log in to an account, don’t click on the link or open any attachments. Instead, open a new browser window and type in the site’s official website address. The best way to identify a phishing email is to check the “sender”‘s address. If the email asks you to enter passwords or other personal information, check that the link is valid.
Hide your Wi-Fi network from nearby devices
You may be wondering how to hide your Wi-Fi network from nearby devices. The process is actually quite simple – you simply need to run the following commands through the Command Prompt in Windows, as an administrator. To get started, first you need to identify your WiFi network SSID. Once you know this, you can change your network name and hide it from other nearby devices. If you’re using Windows 7, you can open the Command Prompt from the start menu.
Secondly, you can change the name of your wireless network to something less mysterious. This will prevent people from using your wireless network for illegal purposes. If you’re worried that your neighbor is stealing your service, you can easily hide your network from nearby devices by changing the name and password. For further security, you can change the IP address of your router. To do this, you can get the IP address of the router from your internet service provider, as well as from the router’s manual. When you’ve got this, simply enter it into your browser to log in to the network.
Create a written cyber security plan
There are many benefits to creating a written cybersecurity plan for your business. For one, it gives you a comprehensive toolkit for your team to follow. Cybersecurity policies are the bedrock of your cybersecurity efforts. Small businesses tend to operate on instinct and word of mouth, so a written plan is essential. You should identify the goals of your business and determine achievable goals. For example, you might set a goal to improve cybersecurity within six months, but never get there.
Your Written Information Security Plan will outline policies and procedures for protecting confidential data. It details both technical and administrative safeguards. Everyone with access to this information must adhere to the appropriate level of security safeguards. You can follow these steps in the replay of the webinar: