PC / 4 Steps to be Cybersecure

       In order to define the status of being cybersecure, one has to meet a couple of basic standards in every organization. The number of articles about it is overwhelming. Therefore, the purpose of this one is to sum it up and present it in an easy and enjoyable way. The article is targetted to everyday users, who are not well versed into the cybersecurity, but who want to be safe from hackers.

So… How to be Cybersecure?

1)   Awareness about Fishing

The awareness about phishing becomes a little overplayed in such articles. But for some reason it is ! Phishing is the practice of sending the fake mail to the customer in order to trick him into doing the action desired by the adversary, for example: downloading malicious file or giving all the personal credentials. The danger of phishing attacks is that it is stealth. Almost all big hacks on companies or governamental Institutions start with phishing. If it is well prepared there is nothing you can do, except for being constantly aware about this practice. Unexpected mail from your trusted bank (which demands to input your credentials), or online game of your child (in which you must fill in credit card information) can be affected. One has to be constantly aware, always double-check - and this is the best sollution against phishing. There are a lot of software, which provide you with the protection against it, but for the personal use they are usually too expensive. For the big companies - these software is a must.

2)   Awareness about Passwords

Passwords are something trivial but wait till you hear this statistic. Not so long ago, there were thousands of accounts credential stolen from specific portal in US. 70 % of passwords were: from 1 to 9, or “zxcvbnm” or “zxc123” and other safe less passwords. Lesson to learn. I think it is obvious… Make your password complicated.

3)   Updates

Updating your programs is crucial, because every update is elevating the security status. Hackers every day find the 0 days, meaning the exploits in softwares which were not updated. This is why software-producers announce updates in advance, which in effect removes specific problems entirely. Of course, it is not defense against 100% of cyberattacks, but it is helping.

4)   Antivirus

Finally, are the antivirus software, which is absolute must on every single computer. Operational Systems without it are susceptible to easiest computer worms that crawl the Web. Keeping antivirus switched on all the time is somewhat as assurance that you are protected… to a certain extent.

Summary

When it comes to cybersecurity of the individual, it is not a complicated issue. Following these 4 steps will make you "cyberaware". But, If the hacker sets his eyes on you, then I am sorry, but if he is medium skilled, then you are done. Hacking individual is easy, no matter how cybersecure he/she is. Nowadays, one person can hack world-wide corporation. Just think about it. Therefore, there is a way to decrease the chances of being hacked. But if you are attractive target for the skilled hackers, then better do not use emails anymore and switch back to hand-written letters...