Tips For Securing Your Digital Data
Your computer, your phone, and your files should be kept safe via virus and malware checkers. Plus, you should set your privacy levels to a medium, medium-high or high level for extra protection. What else can you do to protect yourself? Here are a few tips that will work with both your desktop computer and your mobile device.
How to Choose Passwords
The longer and more complex your password is, then the harder it is for brute-force programs to crack it. You need to create passwords with letters and numbers, and with upper and lower case characters in them. You need to make them at least eight characters long, and you need to change your passwords every 72 days. Doing this will not keep out hardcore hackers, but it will put a stop to passive and low-level attempts.
How to Pick Cloud Storage Services
The truth is that none of them are particularly reliable. Almost all of the major providers have been hacked and/or had security breaches in some way of another. Pick a cloud storage service and then go looking in the media for security breaches they have experienced. If they have had a lot or a recent one, then give them a miss and try another company.
Encrypt Emails and Chats
You will have to look into what your email and chat service allows. However, most will allow you to block people, and most will provide ways to encrypt your messages and/or hide them from certain people. Many emails are private anyway and shouldn’t be visible to other people unless other people have your password.
Secure Browser History
The most secure browser history is a deleted one. If you like to keep your history on file, then you are going to need to find a good virus and malware checker that will keep spyware off your computer. Otherwise, you may have to live with people seeing your browsing history.
Reduce Your Digital Footprint
Your digital footprint is your impact on the Internet as a whole. This includes how many accounts you sign up for and how much you post on the Internet about yourself. Some people are silly and will broadcast on social media about how they are going on holiday next week and that their house will be empty. There are others that set secret questions such as their first pet or mother’s maiden name, and then have that very same information on Facebook for the entire world to see. Reduce your digital footprint and you make it more difficult for hackers and crackers to break into your accounts.
Stop giving out your email address and phone number
It may not seem like a big deal, but giving out your phone number or email address makes your accounts easier to hack. Your email is often your username, which means they now only need your password to hack you. Your phone number can be sold for a profit to companies that will send you spam messages and make marketing calls to you.
About Author: Linda Craig is writing enthusiast and a professional editor at essay service Assignmentmasters. Her passions are modern British Literature and digital education
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