1. Change your passwords regularly and be sure to have different passwords for different websites!
When people use the same password for everything, it makes it especially easy for a hacker to gain access to all the accounts of that person. This is especially important for banking information and social media accounts. A report conducted by Hewlett Packard reported that hacks cost the average American firm around $15.4 million per year, more than double the global average. Also, around 22% of people have reported their social media account passwords stolen in 2013, and that number increases daily.
2. Avoid Phishing emails!
Phishing emails are a type of email that hackers will mass send to companies and individual users. They appear to be from a normal company email account, but will usually be spelt wrong to trick users into thinking it's from the actual site. Users will click on the email link, and will be brought to a login page that looks exactly like that of the real company. If the user logs in, their information will be immediately sent out to hackers.
3. Be wifi smart!
Logging into free wifi may seem like a perfectly fine idea, but it causes more harm than good. Encrypted websites only protect the information you send to and from that site, and free wifi can easily be hacked into. Make sure you use secure websites, and be careful what you log into.
4. Lock your tech!
Not having a password on your computer, cell phone, or other devices is basically a gateway to getting robbed of your information. If you were to lose your device, anyone who finds it could easily browse through anything saved, including passwords and account information. You wouldn’t forget to put a lock on your front door, so don't forget to lock your devices!
5. Read the private policy!
They may be long and they may seem unnecessary, but before you download any app, start a new social media, or update a device, you always need to make sure you don't agree to anything you don’t want to. Once you hit the “I accept” button, you automatically grant access to anything put in the private policy, so be careful before you click. The cost of data breaches will increase to $2.1 trillion globally in 2019, dont make yourself become a victim.
6. Update devices!
Hackers are constantly looking for weaknesses in apps and devices in order to steal as many passwords and accounts as possible. Luckily, these companies are always working to implement new policies and protections within their updates. The longer a version of technology is open to the public, the longer hackers have to find weaknesses within the software.
7. Backup your data!
Remembering to backup your data is the best way to keep your information safe. Think of backing up data as a “backup plan”. If you were to lose your device without having anything backed up, all the information saved on that device would be lost forever. Backing up your information onto a computer ensures that everything stays secure, and nothing gets deleted. It's best to create a backup on a different device, such as an external hard drive, so that you can easily recover your information when the original device becomes compromised.