Published on July 5th, 2019 📆 | 6073 Views ⚑
0How to Protect Yourself from Viruses, Hackers, and Thieves
People often think of computer security as something technical and complicated. And when you get into the nitty-gritty, it can beâbut the most important stuff is actually very simple. Here are the basic, important things you should do to make yourself safer online.
Enable Automatic Updates
All the software we use every day is likely riddled with security issues. These security issues are constantly being foundâwhether weâre talking about Windows, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, the Adobe Flash plugin, Adobeâs PDF Reader, Microsoft Officeâthe list goes on and on.
These days, a lot of operating systems and programs come with automatic updates to close these security holes. No longer do you need to click a button or download a file to update your software; itâll update itself in the background without any input from you.
Some people like to turn this off for one reason or another. Maybe you donât like that Windows restarts after installing an update, or maybe you just donât like change. But from a security perspective, you should always leave automatic updates on.
RELATED: How to Keep Your Windows PC and Apps Up to Date
If you have turned off automatic updates previously, for any of your software, go turn them on right now, and then come back to this. Good job.
RELATED: Why You Need To Install Windows Updates Automatically
Keeping your computer up-to-date is the number one way to keep it safe against online threats. Microsoft provides updates for Windows and associated Microsoft products (Defender, Office) on the second Tuesday of each month. Apple doesnât have a regimented schedule, but they also regularly provide updates. These updates not only fix bugs, but they patch security holes. So the only way to protect yourself against the latest known vulnerabilities is by updating. Malicious attackers are always looking for unpatched systems they can attack, and automatic updates keeps you off the list of low hanging fruit.
Use Antivirus and Anti-Malware
It seems like every couple of years an article will come out saying one antivirus is the absolute best. Three more will follow saying three others outperformed the first. On top of these, some security expert will write an article saying antivirus is no longer relevant and youâre dumb if you use it.
RELATED: Do I Really Need Antivirus If I Browse Carefully and Use Common Sense?
Letâs set the record straight: you should be running antivirus, even if youâre careful on the web. Which one? Itâs up to youâthough when it comes to free, simple, and good, thereâs nothing wrong with using Windows Defender. Itâs built in to Windows, it updates automatically with the Windows Update utility, it has no discernible impact on performance, and itâs free. To be effective, an antivirus application need to integrate with the operating system on a very deep level. Who better to know the internals of Windows than the people who built it? Plus, it wonât try to sell you other products or inject other features you donât need, like some antivirus programs do.
If you spend time on the shadier corners of the internet, you may want something a bit stronger, like Avira or Kaspersky, but for most home users, Windows Defender should be fine.
RELATED: Whatâs the Best Antivirus for Windows 10? (Is Windows Defender Good Enough?)
However, in addition to antivirus, we also recommend using Malwarebytes alongside your antivirus. Just like your belt can use a good pair of suspenders to give it a little help, applications like Malwarebytes can provide extra protection against malicious software that traditional antivirus products may not identify. Malicious programs like browser re-directors and advertisement injectors behave exactly like some known legitimate network filters. Theyâre not technically viruses, but you definitely donât want them. Anti-malware applications can help you with those. Malwarebytes is $40 per year, but you can get some of its features for free.
With that one-two punch combo, you should be safe from a lot of the threats out there.
Craft Better Passwords, and Automate Them
RELATED: Your Passwords Are Terrible, and Itâs Time to Do Something About It
You probably know passwords are important, but you probably donât know how importantâand how terrible most peopleâs passwords actually are.
Hereâs the thing: weâre no longer in the olden days of the internet, where you can just use the same password everywhere and call it a day. Services get hacked all the time, and if youâre using the same password everywhere, youâve given someone access to all of your accounts when one service leaks information. You need to use long passwords and you need to use different ones on every site and service.
To do this, I recommend everyone use a password manager like LastPass. Itâll automatically generate passwords for you, save them securely in one central place, and even automatically insert them for you as you browse.
You should also have a password on your computer and a passcode on your phone, too. I know, I know, itâs inconvenient. But while it may take a few seconds longer than just hitting one button, itâs an easy and important way to keep your information secure. Having a password on your computer and phone will stop random people from just picking up and using your device.
Think of all the information on your cell phone. Now think of all the websites youâre logged into on your computer. Would you want a stranger having all that access? Do you know how easy it is to lose your phone or laptop? You need to have a password on your computer and phone. No exceptions.
RELATED: PSA: Encrypt Your PC, Phone, and Tablet Now. Youâll Regret It Later If You Donât
But thatâs not all. A good password is like a really good lock on the door, but locks can be picked. Adding encryption turns that door into a bunker. If you encrypt your computer or phone, you prevent thieves from getting to your data by other more advanced means. We recommend using BitLocker on Windows if you have Windows Pro or Enterprise, or VeraCrypt if you have Windows Home. Mac users should turn on FileVault. If youâre running Windows Home, something like Veracrypt is a good option for you. iPhones and Android phones are usually encrypted by default these days, but you can double check in the settings to be sure.
Never Leave Your Phone or Computer Unattended
This may seem obvious, but it deserves saying: never, ever, ever leave your computer or phone unattended in public. On your coffee table in your house? Sure. On your table at Starbucks? No way. Doing so is asking for it to be stolen.
If your device gets stolen, the best case scenario is you losing your expensive device. But if you leave something unattended and you havenât followed all of the above advice, the worst case scenario is that someone has your expensive gadget and all of your personal information. All it takes is a kid with slightly-more-than-basic computer knowledge to get at all your data, and if they have your computer in their hands, itâs a lot easier (if you donât use encryptionâsee above).
Know Which Links Are Safe to Click in Emails
RELATED: Online Security: Breaking Down the Anatomy of a Phishing Email
You hear it all the time: donât open emails from people you donât know, and donât click on links in emails you donât trust. But that isnât enough. A lot of times, malicious links can come from friends who have been infected, or from emails that look legitimate, but are actually fake. This is known as phishing.
If you want to be truly secure, you could never click on links in emails. But thatâs not realistic or convenient, although we do recommend against clicking email links to sensitive locations like your bankâs website. Just head to your bankâs website normally. For other links in emails, the middle ground option is knowing how to investigate a link before you click on itâyes, even ones from your friends.
First, check is if this link goes where it says it goes. If you hover your cursor over the link, the destination should pop up at the bottom of your browser window. If it doesnât, Right-click on the link and select âCopy link address.â You can then paste this somewhere safe (like a Notepad document) and examine it.
If the link says âebay.comâ, but the real destination says âebay.clickme.comâ, something is suspicious, and you shouldnât click. Remember, just because it has the word âebayâ in it doesnât mean itâs going to ebay, eitherâit needs to be before that â.comâ to be truly legitimate.
Be Careful About Programs You Download and Run (and Stop Pirating  Software)
This tip may also seem obviousâyou hear it all the time, and probably think you follow it. But so much of the malware Windows users encounter seems to be as a result of accidentally downloading and installing bad software.
So always be careful about the programs you download and run. Only download and run software thatâs widely known and trustworthy, or recommended by trustworthy sites. Make sure you always get the software from its official websiteâif you want to download VLC, download it from VLCâs official website. Donât click a âDownload VLCâ banner on another website and download it from someone else that may bundle malware or adware along with it. Even if youâre using a search engine, make sure itâs leading you to the real site.
RELATED: How to Avoid Installing Junk Programs When Downloading Free Software
And, when downloading software, be sure to watch out for advertisement banners disguised as âDownloadâ links that will take you elsewhere and try to trick you into downloading possibly malicious software. And uncheck any bundled software that comes with a programâeven a legitimate one.
Be aware that there are many different types of âprogramsââfor example, screensavers in .SCR format are essentially just programs and could contain harmful malware. Weâve got a list of 50+ different types of file extensions that are potentially dangerous on Windows.
Lastly, and this should go without saying, but stop pirating software. When you acquire pirated or cracked software from peer-to-peer networks or shady websites, youâre taking a big risk. By running an .exe file from such locations, youâre trusting the distributor to not do anything harmful. Worse yet, the cracks you may need to run to make such software work properly are made by software-cracking groups. You canât know if theyâve included malware or not.
Donât Trust Your Popup Notifications
Similarly, never download or install something you didnât go looking for. If a website tells you Flash is out of date, Chrome needs to be updated, or a plugin needs to be added, pump your brakes. This is a common trick to get you to install something for an attacker. Â If you think the pop-up might be legitimate, you still donât want to click on it.
Letâs use Flash as an example. A site may give you a warning you need the latest version to get that cat video to play. Instead of clicking the link (or button) to update, do a search for âadobe flashâ and get the update from Adobeâs official websiteânot the popup from catvideos.com.
RELATED: Tell Your Relatives: No, Microsoft Wonât Call You About Your Computer
This applies to âtech supportâ, too. Donât believe any site that says itâs detected a virus on your system (or any calls from Microsoft). If a popup says you have a virus on your computer, donât click on it. Instead, go to your Start menu, open your antivirus program of choice, and run a scan from there instead.
None of these ideas are particularly high tech. Theyâre not advanced. They donât take complex programs or a degree in computer science to implement. Theyâre simple ways to adjust your behavior that will greatly improve your securityâand everyone can (and should) use them.
Image Credit: Seth Werkheiser/Flickr
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