Information Security Top Best Practices to Protect Data

While we are becoming increasingly more reliant on technology and storing our information online, this trend increases the opportunity and desire of hackers to try and acquire your sensitive information such as credentials, personal data, & financial records. Your computer getting infected with a malicious virus can give the hacker the ability to access your computer and can lead to your online accounts getting infiltrated or personal information being leaked. While the strategies hackers use to breach your system’s defenses change, there are several strategies you can always use to aid you in staying safe online:  

Use Caution Clicking Links and Attachments: 

Emails, attachments, and website links are the three things you should use the most caution while interacting with on the Internet. Many cyberattacks begin through sending out emails infected with malicious content. 

Phishing is one-way hackers infect your computer. This strategy is executed by sending emails posing as a reputable company in attempts that the user believes it is an authentic email and updates their personal information on a malicious website. You can often determine if a website is a legitimate a few ways: 

  • Check for a different or misleading URL. If you are not sure about the source of the message, you should always hover over the hyperlinked website address to verify that it is a valid link for the site. 
  • Check the e-mail address of the sender. It may only be a letter off a valid email from the company they are trying to mimic, so make sure you look carefully. 
  • Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Most company communications will thoroughly review their messages for mistakes, while many phishers have a poor use of English grammar.  So, language errors may be a signal that the email is not coming from a reputable company. 
  • Check the IP address of the sender if you are suspicious. If you check the source code, the IP address can be found following the lines “Received: from.” You can then google the IP address and view information about the computer it was sent from. 

Clicking unknown links is also a dangerous game. Untrustworthy sites can begin downloading files, rerouting you through other malicious websites, and scam you for information the moment you open the link. If you are skeptical whether you should open a link you believe has potential to be infectious but are going to commit to it, it is best to right-click and copy the link, then paste it in a separate browser so you can take a look at the URL. The most secure sites include a “HTTPS” to begin the URL. Especially look out for this if you are inputting sensitive information such as a credit card or social security number. 

The easiest way hackers send viruses to your system is through attachments. They are especially dangerous in the workplace, school, or anywhere that many people are connected to the same network. Do not open attachments unless you are certain you know what they contain as well as who the sender is. Word documents, PDFs, and EXE’s are amongst the most dangerous files that you should be worried. If one recipient opens an attachment, there is a chance that it could spread to every computer connected to the network. 

Two-Factor Authentication: 

Over the last few years, websites have developed more ways to strengthen security and provide their users with more opportunities to protect against cyber-attacks. One strategy emerging is called two-factor authentication. This entails a confirmation from a cell phone or some other kind of verification in addition to a password to be able to access an account. 

You should check websites you frequent to see if they have a two-factor authentication process available. Sometimes, there are settings that only require this procedure if you are logging in from a different device, which his especially important. If a company gets breached by a cyberattack, the hackers most likely won’t be able to access your account if two-factor authentication is enabled unless they had some kind of personal device or personal information already. 

Security questions are another preventative measure used to be able to recover your account if it was lost or stolen. However, if these answers are not unique or can be found with a little research, then they can actually work against you and give unwanted guests access to your accounts. You should avoid common questions typically offered such as “What’s your mother’s maiden name” or “What was your first pets name” because these questions can likely be found online through records or social media. Some don’t even answer the question being asked to ensure anyone that but themselves can access the account. For example, instead of putting “Turner” for your father’s middle name, you could put something random such as “Finding Nemo.” 

Use a VPN: 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an effective way to ensure that your identity is not revealed online and is a good defense to your sensitive information falling into the wrong hands. They are especially useful when utilizing public networks, such as a coffee shop or library. These kinds of connections offer minimal security to its Wi-Fi guests and should be taken with the most caution while browsing. Whether you are on a public or private network, taking the precaution of using a VPN is wise. A VPN adds security by connection a public network to a private network to mask your IP address and have more peace of mind accessing private data. There are many services online that offer VPN’s to their users, and many can be found that are inexpensive or even free of charge. 

Browser safety: 

  • Don’t stay signed in to your email or other online accounts.  Also, lock your PC when you walk away. 
  • Never let your browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox) save your password. You could also change the setting of saving password in browser. Instead, use a secure password manager like LastPass.  
  • On a regular basis clean your browser history, passwords, cache, and cookies.