Business
4 Potent Cyber Security Threats and How to Defend Yourself Against Them
What’s a VPN? It is one of the many things that can keep your computer safe from outside attackers. Protecting digital assets starts by using computer guidelines that have been in place for years. But even the most seasoned computer user can make a mistake that compromises their system. Instead of handing off security workloads to staff, users should be aware of how a system became unstable.
1. Be Smart
If you manage your own antivirus and firewall, keep them up to date. There are very few instances where you have to temporary deactivate either one. And there are even fewer reasons to prevent a scheduled scan from taking place. If you are getting a request to deactivate your firewall or antivirus, only do so if you trust the source. A pop up from a website that you’re visiting is not a trusted source. When you choose to turn off one of the few things that protect you from predators, then they will gladly take advantage.
2. Who Does The Attachment Belong To?
Users getting infected wit attachments is one of the reasons emails began incorporating their own antivirus options. It was a way to protect users from themselves, and in the case of a company, prevent the entire local network from getting infected. Most programs use a two-step system to prevent users from opening attachments from unknown senders. The first step is to disable all clickable links in the email. Once enabled, clicking on the attachment will prompt the user with a message about opening it. If the attachment is clicked after that, protection falls on the user’s installed protection software to stop any attack. The key here is to never open attachments from unknown sources in the first place- it is usually a bad idea.
3. Phishing Scams
Phishing scams are doing well because people keep falling for them. Never give out your password, and always check for a website’s certification in the address window of a browser. One of the easiest scams to run online is to have a slight misspelling of the actual website. Instead of Google, you may accidentally type in Foogle. The page brings you to looks exactly like Google, so when you enter any information, you are basically giving your identity away.
4. Don’t Download From Unknown Websites
This is the biggest cybersecurity threat there is. Unfortunately, it shows no signs of slowing down. The problem with downloading from unknown websites is that you don’t know what data they’re sending you. Users in a corporate environment will bypass normal security measures with a proxy and go to websites that are on the ban list. This may seem harmless at first, but using a basic proxy does not stop dangerous data from entering your hardware. A VPN can provide protection on this front, but make sure that it is supported by the network.
Wrap Up
Threats are only allowed to penetrate when a user allows it. You’re in full control of a system, and it is up to you and everyone else on the network to secure it. Stay away from dangerous websites, emails, and scams that hunt for your information.