Practical Cyber Security Tips for the Average Person

Practical: Useful, logical, and transparent cyber security methods to staying safe and secure online
By  
Gigabit Systems
October 29, 2018
20 min read
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EveryOctoberis Cyber Security Awareness Month, but that doesn’t it's never too early or too late to learn new ways about how to stay safe online. Here are some general best practices for how you can avoid hackers and maintain top notch cyber security.

Password Protection 

Avoid choosing a simple combination of numbers and/or words as your password, and especially avoid using numbers and/or words that are salvageable from already existing data associated with your identity. This includes usingyour name, date of birth,ande-mail addresscharacters in your password. Using a strong mix of characters, diversifying your passwords for different websites, andavoiding sharing passwords with others are all strong tools for preventing a hack. We alsorecommend keeping a physical copy of your passwordson youat all times. Keeping your passwords physically attached to yourmonitor, orstored in a cloud-based application such as Notes, maymake a breach more plausible.

Another key tool of good password management is locking your devices. It is ill advised to leave any of your devices unattended. If you must leave your phone, tablet, flash drive computer, or any other device unattended, it is encouragedto activate a lock so that it’s not accessible. Again, device passcodes should not be physically attached to the device it’s protecting.

Online Self-Autonomy 

When online, your top priority should be making sure your information stays only yours.This includeslimiting yourself-exposure on social networks. In 2016, the Russian government used targeted Facebook ads to appeal to certain profile’s assumed political affiliations. Theirultimate goalwas to sway American public opinion inthen-candidate DonaldTrump’s favor. The Russian government manipulatedinformationand created graphicsto triggercertainFacebook user’s implicit biases, which were assumed basedoff ofwhat they shared on their profiles.For example, some ads specifically targeted conservative Facebook users by placing the American flag alongside statements such as “take care of our vets, not illegals.” Keeping sensitive information offline thereforelessensthevarietyofdata available on your identity, which would make any attempted manipulation far more difficult to accomplish.

On the topic of suspicious activity, another way to practice online self-autonomy includesregular account monitoring. Keeping an offline record of where you’ve created an account and when, as well as setting a reminder to check those accounts on a regular basis, can help make sure that you’ve not been compromised.If you have been compromised, checking your account on a regular basis can stop a hacker in their tracks before they’re able to maximize their impact.

"Keeping sensitive information offline therefore lessens the variety of data available on your identity, which would make any attempted manipulation far more difficult to accomplish."

Detecting and Reporting Fraudulent Activity  

One tactic that hackers use to trick Internet users is social engineering. Social engineering manipulates individuals into thinking that their data will beput to usefor a purposeful mission such as charity, entrepreneurship, and etc.In reality, theintentis actually malicious.Don’t be afraid to decline theserequests, andreaching out to the affiliated company to confirm their identity from the source.

Another means of avoiding fraudulent activity when surfing the web includes safe clicking. Social engineers often send suspicious links, images, and videos via direct messaging, emails, and instant messaging.If it appears out-of-the-blue or unfamiliar, do not click. Pay close attention to what appears in your inboxes – some hackers will misspell a single word, or omit a single letter, in a URLallfor the purpose of directing you to a harmful domain. Even if the informationseems interesting, it is always best practice to avoid and ignore suspicious activity.

The Final Test 

Please note thatno matter how active you are on the Internet, anyone can fall victim to a hacker. Knowing that anyone is an attractive target toahacker should dissuade you fromany adventurous online activityoutside of your normal practices.Recentevents, such as the Russia-Facebook data breach,attestto the bitter realityofhow the World Wide Web can inflict serious harm in a moment’s notice.While many of theaforementionedtacticscanrefine your personal cyber-security, the premier ruleisto stay vigilant.If you stayon topofall ofyour online activity, be it your browser history, e-mail inboxes, or social media profiles,you will likely continue to stayout ofharmsway.

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