As you may know, it’s not just top secret government agencies that get hacked. Even the average Joe is not safe from hacking attempts. The thing about hackers is that they are very sneaky and can be anywhere.
Using the right tools however, one could protect themselves against these cyber criminals. There are five things you need to do in order to prevent getting hacked.
Use Strong Passwords
One of the first things you need to do is to use strong passwords. That way, even if you get hacked, the hacker won’t be able to access your account because he or she doesn’t know your password. You should always think of a complicated yet memorable password so that whenever you log into your account, you can always remember that password.
Strong passwords are a must in today’s age of heightened security, but that goes for more than just your email or social media. It is also important to utilize good password practice on all accounts you have from online gaming to banking accounts.
Instead of using one word, try using a series of words. The more complicated the password is, the harder it will be for hackers to access your information. For added security, you can even think about linking certain parts of or entire sentences together and/or including symbols like ‘$’ and ‘&’.
You would be surprised at how quickly someone could hack into your accounts with the simple click of a button if they were able to figure out your password. With that in mind, make sure you change them every few months or so.
Don’t Click on Suspicious Links
Another thing you should do to prevent yourself from getting hacked is not to click on suspicious links found in emails or other accounts. There are many phishing scams out there and if you click on one of those links, it’s like admitting defeat. You need to make sure that whenever you receive an email, no matter how important the sender seems, always check out the link before clicking on it.
It’s a simple rule, but one that often gets ignored.
The quickest way to stop yourself from getting “hacked” is to never click on suspicious links or open files from random senders. While it may seem obvious, this advice can’t be stressed enough. Hackers have been known to send out fake emails, text messages, and other messages to lure users into clicking on links. This is especially true if the user “recognizes” the sender or knows them in real life.
Also, this advice extends beyond email messages. Hackers also spread malware through website popups, junk mail, instant messages, etc. If you’re not sure about where a link or file is from, don’t click on it.
Get a VPN
If you don’t use a Virtual Private Network you are at risk of getting hacked. Hackers can easily insert themselves in between your device and the website server, giving them access to all sorts of personal information like emails, credit card numbers, etc. using man-in-the-middle attacks . With a VPN installed on your devices, you create a secure and encrypted connection between your device and the VPN. If you’re using public wifi, this is especially important as hackers can easily gain access to information transmitted over an unsecure network .
Getting a VPN will give you more security online because everything that your web browser does is encrypted. If someone tries to hack into what you’re doing via your web browser, they won’t be able to see what you’re doing because it’s encrypted.
Get Antivirus Software
The first and most important thing you can do to protect your computer from getting hacked is get antivirus software. You shouldn’t even consider using a computer without it. Even if you use an Apple computer, and think that it cannot be affected by viruses, install antivirus software anyway because there are plenty of different types of malware out there that can infect any computer system.
Getting hacked can come from many different avenues, including email links and downloads. At the very least, your antivirus software will be able to remove any viruses that you install on your own computer.
Everyone should have an antivirus program on their computer or phone in order to protect themselves from all sorts of viruses and malware programs. These days, the antivirus programs are really good at protecting your computer from getting hacked. The best kind of antivirus program is one that you only need to install once, but it will update automatically and protect you all the time.
Have a Backup of Your Data
To prevent getting hacked is to have a backup of your data. Even if you think you don’t have anything important on your computer, the truth is that it’s very hard to tell what is and isn’t important. A virus could corrupt some files and render them unreadable, making them seem unimportant until it’s too late and you can’t access them. Having a backup on an external hard drive or in the cloud is one of the best ways to protect yourself from disaster.
In conclusion, it is best if you have a backup of your data in case things go wrong and you end up losing all your precious files and documents that you worked hard on. You should always have a backup of your data because you never know what might happen.
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