Tech Talks Today
How Do You Secure Your Data?
Are You Doing Anything About It Or Just Winging It?
Let’s get one thing straight. No device or application is 100% safe or secure. Code, the same as humans, is flawed. There is always something more. A developer or an engineer, or even a team of them, will always miss something.
There will always be at least someone that will test the system. Either out of pure curiosity or, worse, for profit. Fortunately, that allows us to improve systems even further.
It also allows us to develop additional layers of security. Passwords can be speculated, or easily brute-forced. Doing a few other things can considerably improve the chances of your data not being stolen.
Let’s start simple.
Use the Same Password Everywhere. NO!
Please Don’t! I know it’s easy to remember one or two passwords, but don’t fall into that trap. You likely have an account on at least half a dozen social networking sites, a dozen shopping sites, and the list can move on. If your password somehow leaks or gets hacked, it is easy for that hacker to gain all your information and data. The fun times only begin after that.
My recommendation is to have complex passwords or keyphrases, longer than the minimum required for any specific site, and if possible different for each app/site.
Save Passwords or Remember Passwords?
Ideally, remember all, as it is still kind of hard for someone’s mind to get hacked. Still, if you’re like me and have hundreds of passwords to remember, it is kind of hard to keep track of all of them.
Password managers to the rescue. Open source and locally stored instances are the best options.
I use KeePass and also host my Bitwarden container on my local server. If you don’t have a server, you can host it in the cloud, for Bitwarden, I mean.
Also, if you don’t have a home server, you should think about building one.
I tend to avoid storing my passwords in a browser, as I really don’t have control of those apps.
MFA or 2FA
2FA (Two Factor Authentication) or Multi-Factor Authentication and passwords are best friends. Approve your authentication using a mobile device or through a validation code.
For some time, I tend to avoid websites that don’t have any 2FA options available, especially if they are shopping sites. So, whenever you get the message to enable 2FA, do not ignore it and do it then and there.
Yes, it can take longer to connect or a bit annoying sometimes, but I would rather be safe than fast.
Multiple E-mail Addresses
Never keep all your eggs in the same basket. That is what an old saying emphasizes. There are multiple reasons to do that, and there are many others to have more than one e-mail address.
Maybe one is for shopping and spam, another is for more personal use. One for work, one for fun. One that’s public and another secret one. It’s also good to keep a spare one in case the main one gets an unwanted intruder.
Antivirus?
Sure, some licenses can be expensive, but I hope at least you use some protection. Even a free product is better than no antivirus.
I don’t know where you’re hanging out on the Internet, but some sites are full of malware, and ransomware is still a trending thing.
Mobile, PC, laptop, no matter what you are using, use antivirus and add another layer of protection. Make sure you keep it as up-to-date as possible.
To Encrypt or Not?
If you have the choice, I would say yes. All the operating systems come with at least one way of encrypting your data.
So, general good practices from my point of view. Encrypt your drives (maybe don’t forget the password), encrypt your smartphones, and access websites that use SSL, through HTTPS (whenever possible).
As with anything, encryption does not solve all your problems, but it is another step in becoming more secure.
VPN Anyone?
Yes, keep your data private and use a VPN. Ideally, build your VPN server, if you don’t trust the VPN providers out there.
You don’t need your ISP or other platforms to keep track of your online activity. There are other benefits to using a VPN, and you can use the Internet to find out more about those, but for me, the main one is always going to be privacy.
External Backups
Disk failures, cyber-attacks, network failures can all lead to data loss. The simplest way to keep your data safe is to keep a physical backup of it. External HDDs, separate servers, and cloud solutions are all viable options.
You can read more details here:
System And Security Updates
One of the easiest ways of helping your data stay safe is to stay updated. Keep your system up-to-date, especially when it comes to security updates. Most of the time, and in pretty much all OS-es, security updates are a different breed of update.
Maybe you don’t need the latest visual overhaul, but I am 100% sure you always need to keep your system safe from harm and your data secure. So, scan for updates and make sure you apply the latest security hotfixes.
So, A Summary, Please?
Sure, here it goes, a shortlist of what you can do to keep safe:
- Use strong passwords;
- Backup your data;
- Use an Antivirus and Firewall;
- Don’t access suspicious e-mails;
- Don’t browse to shady websites;
- Use MFA;
- Use VPN;
- Use HTTPS;
- Don’t use public Wi-Fi.
- Use encryption;
- Use password managers;
- Update your system;
- Stay informed;
Keep safe and all the best.
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