Protect Yourself Against Cyber Crime
If you are worried about how criminal hackers steal financial information or other sensitive information, this article will help you understand some ways to keep yourself safe. Financial-related crime is also a cybercrime because ways of stealing money these days are normally done with the help of a computer, hacking tools, and criminal ideas. Cybercrime is not limited to stealing financial and confidential information like debit card or debit card details, bank account login details, bank, and other financial-related records.
Protection against any cybercrime depends on the type of cybercrime; each type of cybercrime has a different protection method. Protecting your own device (your personal computer or mobile device) will always keep you safe against cybercrime and knowing common types of cyber crimes and how to protect against them lets you understand and recognize cybercrime. For all cyber crimes in general, you should know how to protect yourself based on your regular activities on your computer or mobile device. Your regular activities may include Online Shopping, Social Media Surfing, Internet download, Online Banking Access, Emailing, Website Surfing, Google Search, etc. However, complete protection of own device and understanding of various cyber crimes are important. Below are lists of information on how to protect yourself from cybercrime.
How to Protect Yourself Against Cyber Crimes
1. Keep your Operating System Secured and Updated
It is mandated to keep your operating system secured and updated by configuring basic security, i.e.: Microsoft Windows Basic Security Setting, and Install updates/security patches when required or automatically.
2. Use Good Antivirus Software
To protect yourself against unwanted and harmful programs that destroy or change the function of your computer, it is also mandated to install and use Strong Antivirus Software on the computer.
3. Secure Your Web Browser and Other Application Software
As Web Browser is one of the main targets for hackers because of the many activities that you do on it, Web Browser Basic Security Setting is necessary before using your web browser. Criminal hackers hack a variety of information through a web browser; your information like Emails, Passwords, Credit Card details, Bank Accounts, and other confidential and sensitive information.
4. Use a VPN while on a Public Network
Public network at your home or workplace network or any public Wi-Fi may not be secured. A malicious hacker within the network may hack into your computer or mobile device. Install and turn on Internet VPN on your computer or mobile device to help you encrypt and keep your data safe against Identity Theft.
5. Use Strong Password
Password is important security in the form of words or strings of characters used for authenticating users to gain access to a resource. It recommended using Password Generator or creating a strong password manually (by using Capital and Special characters i.e.: &#@$(!) with your password)
6. Secure your Home Network
Securing your home or workplace network helps Protect your Network Against Common Cyber Attacks. Necessary security settings are done on the network router, Configure your router and do Basic Network security Configuration on your home or workplace router that keeps you safe from cyber attacks.
7. Keep your password and personal information safe
After using a strong password, it is also important to keep it and other confidential information safe. The following are some methods to keep confidential information safe.
- Be sure about who you are giving your personal or financial information to. Donβt give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless youβve initiated the contact or know who youβre dealing with.
- Before you dispose of your old computer or mobile phone, get rid of all the personal information stored therein. Use a Wipe utility program / Hard Disk Eraser to overwrite the entire hard drive.
- Install and use an Anti-Spyware Program to protect against User Activity Monitoring and Identity Theft i.e.: password and other sensitive data.
- Protect yourself from Phishing; do not click links or download files sent from an unknown person. You need to also observe links or files thoroughly before clicking or downloading them, The link or file may be harmful or the link may contain fraudulent links requesting information that may lead to financial loss.
- Keep your passwords strong and private by storing them in an encrypted storage device, do not save your confidential information online (i.e email, browser, mobile application, etc.), and be sure about who you are giving your personal or financial information to. Continue reading
Complete protection, according to the above information, and regular protection updates by checking, applying the latest protection updates, and repeating the same protection periodically; i.e. monthly is recommended. You also need to observe links or files thoroughly before clicking or downloading them, a file could be a harmful file or the link could be a fraudulent link requesting your information that may lead to financial loss.