The use of computers and smartphones is becoming an increasingly important part of our lives. Many people find it difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of technological development.
The threat of hackers and data sniffers is omnipresent at the same time. We will tell you important tricks that you can use to play it safe in the future.
DATA PROTECTION STARTS WITH THE CONSUMER
With the GDPR, the EU and the federal government have laid important foundations for data protection. Ultimately, however, it is up to each and every user of social media and comparable Internet services which information they give out. The promise of comprehensive networking not only with colleagues and friends but also with old acquaintances and former schoolmates is very tempting for many people. These offers challenge us to tell lots of personal things about ourselves and to share them with other people. However, once published, it is often difficult to recapture this information. That’s why the responsible user should consider not putting every detail of his life online. Incidentally, this also includes the right privacy settings on Windows: The operating system gives users the option to turn off telemetry and logging of user activities.
THIS IS HOW STRONG PASSWORDS WORK
Nowadays, when you create an account with a shop or web service, you are asked to choose a password that meets various security criteria. This is problematic for two reasons: firstly, the operator hands over the responsibility for security to their customers, and secondly, in order to meet security standards, you have to invent a new password for each offer, which is only used on this one page. If there is a data leak from the operator – which is unfortunately not uncommon – log-in information in connection with other personal data quickly ends up in the hands of criminals who buy and sell such data on the Darknet. That way, they would then have access to all of a person’s online accounts where they use the same password.
But who should remember the complex sequences of numbers, letters, and special characters if, according to the recommendation, they should not even contain terms from the dictionary? The answer lies in a password manager. This program manages the access data of different accounts, saves them, and encrypts them according to the highest standards. The user gains access via a single master password. The service also automatically exchanges older codes for new ones and checks whether private data has been leaked on the Internet.
SECURE DATA AGAINST LOSS
A common scam used by criminals today is the use of so-called ransomware. This encrypts all data stored on an infected device and demands a ransom from the user. You don’t have to respond to this requirement if you regularly back up important files. You can use both external data carriers and cloud storage for this.
ALWAYS USE THE LATEST VERSION OF WINDOWS
Even modern operating systems still have security gaps. If such a vulnerability is discovered, the software company then tries to eliminate it with an update. However, many users refrain from regularly maintaining their operating system and installing the new updates. Even the use of outdated versions of Windows, which are no longer maintained by Microsoft, still occurs. If you don’t take the time to keep your system up-to-date, you risk being invaded by viruses and Trojans, which can then spy out passwords, tap into account activity, or steal private data.
