Nearly every person in America will access the web on a daily basis—whether that be for work or personal reasons.
In the Digital Age, keeping your personal information safe and secure should be your chief concern, especially if you are one of these daily internet users. While many understand the need for internet privacy, few understand the defensive options at their disposal.
1] Data Encryption
Data encryption changes data from one form or code into another so that the only people who can translate the scrambled information are those who have the password or decryption key. Encryption is one of the most successful methods of data security and can be broken down into one of two categories:
- Asymmetric encryption.
- Symmetric Encryption.
The goal of both methods is to protect confidentiality and secure data that is saved on computers and sent out via networks or the internet. Digital Guardian provides some of the best data protection out there.
2] Set Up A VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the optimal way to secure your website, company, or personal computer, thus protecting your data. VPN provides you with an encrypted and secure connection between your personal computer and a server that could be in a thousand different places.
This encryption guards your activity against commercial surveillance, malicious hackers, and ad trackers. It allows you to browse the web securely even on public Wi-Fi, ignore streaming location restrictions and ensures you can communicate freely without worry. Read this article if you’d like to learn how to set up a VPN.
3] Anti-Virus Software
As we previously discussed in our article on the best ways to look after your security online, anti-virus software is a requirement for maintaining the security of your personal data.
Hackers tend to utilize malware (malicious software), which grants them access to your data and the ability to steal that information, delete or do other malicious things to the device itself.
They may also upload a virus to perform the same ill deeds. It is critical that you never ever use an internet connected device without having anti-virus software installed.
Viruses are a nuisance. ESET was rated the best anti-virus software of 2018 and is a fantastic platform to choose.
4] Use Strong Passwords and Change Them Regularly
We’ve talked about this before, but unfortunately, this is one of those topics you simply have to repeat multiple times in order for people to absorb. If your password gets hacked or guessed, there can be disastrous consequences to such an event.
Despite that, most people pick a very easy-to-guess password that typically includes a number in the beginning, a phrase/name/ place, and that same number. If they feel like being tricky, they might add an exclamation mark at the end. This is not the way to do it, folks.
A strong password is one of the best ways to guard your computer against a brute force hack. By increasing complexity and adding special characters, capitalizations, or random letters, you make it infinitely harder to break that lock.
Further, it is essential that you change your password regularly. While most organizations make you do that every 60 days, for your personal info, consider replacing it at least on an annual basis.
5] Make Software Updates Automatic
More often than not, software developers release a product before it is complete. In the world of security, glitches, errors, security holes, and other such things are updated and patched frequently. Because of this, it is essential that you are regularly updating your software.
Otherwise, there may be a new form of trojan virus or malware that exposes holes in your older software. By changing your updates to automatic, you can set and forget—knowing that your personal data is safe and secure.
In the digital age, there is a constant threat of malware, viruses, and other such dangers on the internet. It behooves you to take extra care and ensure that your personal information is secure.
These are just some of the things you can do to protect the privacy and information of yourself, clients, company, and employees.
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