Cyber attack protection 101
The internet is a wonderful place to connect with other people and to grow our business. However, you have to know how to use it safely. Beyond internet myths, there are real dangers to having an online presence. Especially consider that if we have our business on the internet we must protect our company from certain dangers. What actions have you taken to protect yourself from a cyber attack? Learn some basic tactics to implement protection against cyber attacks and be safer on the internet.
What is a cyber attack?
A cyber attack can be seen in many ways. Maybe years ago you heard stories about chatroom scammers or kidnappings that had happened when people were online. While this is still real, it’s not the only way we’re exposed online. Even if we never meet with someone we met online IRL that person can attack our web security.
When a person has access to our systems, they can steal data. This is particularly sensitive when it comes to intellectual property, personal data, or files crucial to the operation of a company. In turn, they can infect computers remotely and compromise the functioning of a company. Some engage in online millionaire frauds.
Why would someone do that? Sometimes companies are extorted by keeping data “hijacked” or infected computers. Other times information is sold, there is nothing more valuable than databases with personal information. That’s why we don’t overestimate how secure we are online and implement bases for our protection against cyber attacks.
Security for your WiFi
The first basic step to being protected online is to ensure that our WiFi is protected. Why? Good is our direct connection to the internet. It is through it that we access websites and upload information to the network. That’s why you have to make sure you have a secure connection. This is one of the simplest steps to protect ourselves and that we should implement as a routine practice.
How do you get this? By hiding our IP address. Through this address, it is easier for people with bad intentions to access our network and steal our data or files. An easy way to do this is by installing a VPN (Virtual Private Network). are usually used to access information no matter where in the world we are, but it also serves to hide our IP address and to encrypt our web traffic. Here are some VPN options you can install to protect against cyberattacks:
Secure passwords prevent cyber attacks
For this point in the history of the internet, this should already be obvious but it is important to reiterate it. If your passwords are any of the following, you are putting yourself at risk:
- 111
- 1234…
- qwerty
- password
They are some of the most used combinations and do not require any hacker to decrypt. Use secure passwords, manage them well. Your Google account can help you with that. Also, password managers already exist. Here’s a list of some software that can help you keep your passwords safe and well organized. Implementing this means implementing protection against cyber attacks.
Back up your data
If you have a good data backup, it’s unlikely anyone will be able to extort you with a cyber attack. As we said in the introduction: the goal of many cyber-attacks is to keep the information or equipment kidnapped for ransom. But if you have a backup, you have nothing to fear.
It is much cheaper to lose some infected hardware than all your data or to pay a ransom. So it backs up and not just in the cloud. If you need to know more about the topic, read this article: 10 reasons why website backups are important.
Install a Firewall
A Firewall or Firewall is a system of control of what is authorized to enter from the web to your computer and vice versa. To understand it better, it is better to think of it by name: a wall against fire, is a barrier of protection that only you allow will pass. It is basic to have an efficient firewall to protect against cyber attacks. With a firewall, you can monitor your web traffic.
If you don’t have one yet, we recommend checking this list: Top Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Vendors for 2021. Review your options and choose the one that best suits your needs, but don’t stay without one. That first protective barrier is needed to protect against cyber attacks and navigate safely.
Protect your mobile phone from cyber attacks
Your mobile phone is as vulnerable to cyber attacks as any computer. It’s something we hardly think about, many people still believe that viruses only affect computers, but they don’t. Currently, people surf much more on their phones and malware has been kept up to date. So our phones also need protection against cyber attacks.
It is not only that our cell phone can contract a virus, but we also have a lot of information in it. How terrible would it be for you if you lost your cell phone? Tragedy, right? This is the case for most of them, it is not only a means of communication but through it, we have accounts, relevant information, photos, access to banking applications, and even work. That is why you must have a minimum of protection.
Your mobile phone should have:
- A password or locking pin
- Be affiliated to an account that allows you to block access remotely
- Antivirus
These are three basic elements to have protection against cyber attacks on your cell phone. As you can see, it’s not like you need to be a tech genius to understand and apply it.
Be wary of strange mails
Just as the issue of passwords should already be obvious, so too. This was one of the first negative things that came out of the internet: email extortion. Today they continue to happen so it is important to keep alerting to have protection against cyber attacks also in our email addresses.
Here are some keys to recognizing an email that can be a cyber attack:
- The email address is strange. For example, it claims to be from a known company or banking institution but the name is misspelled, divided by hyphens or points, could be a scam.
- They ask for personal data. A serious bank never asks for your passwords or personal data, much less by email.
- The email includes a password you’ve used before. If in the body of the message they say that they have your password and they show it to you, surely it is for extortion purposes.
- They give you limited time to respond. They almost always include a time limit to respond to the message of one or two days and threaten with consequences.
- Spelling mistakes. Scammers usually don’t write very well.
Conclusions
When it comes to protection against cyber attacks you have to be sure to cover at least basic points. no one is immune on the Internet and we need to take care of our data from people with bad intentions. That’s why to protect against cyber attacks it is important to take care of our WiFi security, have secure passwords, a firewall, make backups, and distrust strange emails. With proper protection against cyberattacks, we can work better online, safe from jeopardizing our information.
What strategies do you use to take care of your online security? Tell us in the comments.
Originally published at https://tankstudiolab.com on September 9, 2021.
