As we move towards modernization, our privacy is getting hindered every now and then. To secure your personal data read this article providing different methods to do so.
Every day, big businesses all over the world have security problems that make the news. These attacks show how vulnerable data is and how organizations of all sizes don’t have strong security plans. The privacy of your personal information depends on how well you protect your data.
Every individual and company needs to protect all of its financial records, employee records, and credentials. Getting hacked could hurt your reputation and cost you money. There are things you can do to make sure you don’t end up in the news. This post contains the top 10 methods with which you can protect your data from getting hacked.
Best Methods To Ensure That Your Data Is Secure
Practices for protecting databases are a little different from those for protecting websites. But it’s also important to encrypt your data to make it harder for cybercriminals to use it as a way to attack. Below are some of the best ways to secure your data.
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Install An Antivirus Program
There are bugs in the programs or apps that you use because they let someone watch or control your computer. Make sure you always follow the instructions given by software companies to apply the latest fixes and close these security holes. Installing and keeping up-to-date anti-spyware or antivirus software is also important.
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Use Strong And Long Passwords
When you reuse passwords or use the same password everywhere, it’s like having one key that opens your safety deposit box, briefcase, office, car, and house. If you use the same passwords for more than one website, account, computer, or other security systems. Keep in mind that all of those websites, accounts, computers, and security systems will not be safe.
Don’t put in your password on computers you don’t trust. With just one lost key, a thief could open all the doors. Keep your passwords fresh by changing them regularly.
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Always Log Out Public Computers After Using
When you are away from home or the office and want to use a computer in cybercafés or hotels are good places to go. However, you need to watch out, it is hard to tell how secure they are by a normal user.
They’re fine for casual web surfing and browsing, but they are not safe enough for entering your credentials on any social media or other banking sites. Due to this, it is important that if you are using a public computer, then you should always log out of your account. Because if you don’t, then the next person using the same computer can access your account very easily.
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Take A Backup Of Your Important Data
Due to a broken piece of hardware, a virus can enter your computer and might not be able to get the information it needs. These viruses can also delete your important files and then it would be difficult to restore them. Make sure to back up regularly any data that is important to you.
You must keep backups or copies of confidential data in a safe place. If you need to, check with your technical support staff to see if a server-hosted solution will meet your needs. This will make sure that your data is safe and available when you need it.
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Keep Your Personal Information Safe
Don’t answer emails that ask you to give out personal information. A common scam called “phishing” involves sending messages that look like they came from an auction, shop, or bank. These messages include a link to a fake website and ask you to click on it and confirm your account information. Then, the thieves use your account information to buy things or move money out of your account.
Embedded links may also have viruses and other harmful software that gets installed on your computer without you having to do anything. Be careful, and if you aren’t sure, don’t click on links or open attachments from unknown senders or people you know unless you are expecting them.
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Use VPN Services For Data Encryption
File Transfer Protocol servers don’t work well for applications that need a high level of internet security because they have security flaws. Most FTP servers let you create file locations on any drive on the system. To let files be moved, you should either buy an external storage device or create a separate drive on the system. If you can, use a virtual private network (VPN) instead of FTP.
VPN is known for its security and encryption. Whereas, many FTP systems send account and password information across the network without encrypting it. FTP is a tool that is often used to break into systems. And VPN is to encrypt and protect your data. Here are some of the best free VPNs for Windows users:
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- IPVanish
- Ivacy
- Express VPN
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Pay Attention To Browser Warnings
We all just want a website to work when we open it. So, when a warning pops up that stops you from moving forward, we usually ignore it. It’s important to slow down and think about the risks. Credit cards and online banking sites are easy and convenient ways to buy things and handle money.
However, they are also the sites that are most often “spoofed” or “faked” for phishing scams. Always check that the online banking and shopping sites are encrypting your information. And also the URL of the site should start with HTTPS. Instead of your credit card or debit card, you could use a virtual credit card or your PayPal account to make the process more secure.
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Use Secured Wifi Connections
Always use a password to protect or secure your home wireless connection. If your router isn’t encrypted, it’s easy for a cybercriminal to get the information from your PC and other devices that are connected to it. A public network is usually open to everyone and can be used by anyone.
Most of the time, these network connections are available in coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, and airports. When you connect to a public network, other people may be able to see what you do online and what data you send, and your device may be vulnerable to an attack.
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Don’t Download Files Illegally
Stay away from Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks and uninstall any file-sharing software you already have on your computer. Most P2P programs have global sharing turned on by default when they are installed.
Because of this, you could get viruses or malware in the form of software on your computer. If your personal or private information is shared on the Internet by accident, it could lead to identity theft.
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Use Load Balancing And Clustering
RAID is a great way to keep data safe on a system, but sometimes you need more than one system. Clustering is the process of getting several computers to work together as a single server. Parallel processing is used in clustered systems, which improves performance and availability and adds redundancy.
Load balancing is also a way to get high availability. This lets you divide the work between several computers. Most of the time, those computers are servers that answer HTTP requests from computers that may or may not be in the same place. This is known as a “mirror site,” and it can add some geographic redundancy and help prevent downtime.
Different Methods To Keep Your Important Data Secure
As you can see, data protection covers a wide range of topics. Strong security professionals and network administrators must keep all of their security tools up to date and use good policy management. With so many practices to implement and to keep apps updated, it seems like a huge task for any security team.
Another problem with data protection is making sure that the end-user isn’t affected too much. Unfortunately, programs like personal threat detection, antivirus, and firewall apps tend to take bandwidth and processing power away from important end-user functions. So, when deciding which programs to use to protect end-users, pay close attention to how much space they take up and how much memory they use.
