Tips to protect yourself from CyberAttacks

10 ways to protect yourself from CyberAttacks 

Internet usage has increased drastically over the last decade. Thanks to smartphones and highly efficient yet cost-effective computers. Another reason is the hardworking developer community that has made software development and use easier than most, with less and less technical sophistication required. The capabilities of software programs have also increased rapidly. The need for distributed computing and connectivity in the world to stay updated on current trends is the reason for businesses to increase their online presence. Some of these businesses are completely online with no offline element in their service or product.

With all the emphasis on usability, one aspect has mostly been ignored as it is a bottleneck in usability. The security of online assets is a factor that was receiving less attention than it was worth until the last four years. Cyber ​​crimes were not persistent before 2013. Cybercrimes have increased as a result of the rise in Internet usage.

The rise of cyber crimes raised awareness of the importance of cyber security. But, a successful attack can cause multi-billion dollar losses. Companies know this and are therefore working towards making their products safer.

However, as an end-user you cannot completely rely on the security measures taken by the companies that sell the products you use. There are many ways by which you can make mistakes and waste all security measures. But there are some habits that when developed can be very beneficial for the Internet safety of an average user.

What is Cybercrime?

Cybercrime is any crime that occurs online or mainly online. Cybercriminals often commit crimes by targeting computer networks or devices. Cybercrime can range from security breaches to identity theft.

Other cyber crimes include things like "revenge porn", cyber-stalking, harassment, bullying and child sexual abuse.

Terrorists cooperate on the Internet, transfer terrorist activities and crimes to cyberspace.


Ways to protect yourself from CyberAttacks - 

1. Use Internet Security Suite

If you know anything about computers and the Internet, chances are very high that you will already be using an antivirus (and if you don't risk it, as long as you're in the weather with a data backup Are not cyber security professionals). An antivirus program that is paired with an Internet security program set helps you-

• Avoiding malicious downloads by mistake.
• Avoiding malicious installations by mistake.
• Preventing Man in Hunt from Middle Attack (MITM)
• Phishing protection.
• Protection from damage to the Trojan horse. Some Trojan horses are built in such a way that most of the code is meant to do useful and reasonably flawless work, while a small part does something bad such as acting as backdoor or escalating privileges.

2- Keep your software up-to-date

Despite the developer's best intentions for building secure software and thorough reviews from security teams, unfortunately there are many zero-days that occur when a large user base uses the software Later appear. Companies are well aware of this fact and hence they issue frequent updates to address these weaknesses.

3- Take quick & instant action if you have been a victim

There are some things that should happen as soon as you realize that you have been hacked:

• File a formal complaint with the police and inform other concerned officials.
• Try to gain access to your compromised accounts using secondary contacts.
• Reset passwords for other accounts and websites that were using the same password the account was compromised.
• Do a factory reset and affect the proper formatting of your devices (assuming you already have your data backed up).

Be aware of current data breaches and other incidents in the cyber world to prevent such incidents from happening again and staying safe online.

4- Use strong passwords( containing letters , alphabates & special symbols)

This cannot be stressed enough. If you have "qwerty123" as a lot of money in your bank password and account, then you should be ready for a surprise transaction. You should not rely solely on the rate-limiting measures used by the websites you visit. Your password must be strong enough to be practically unbreakable. A strong password is one that is 12+ character long and a diverse use of alphabets (both cases), numbers and symbols (and spaces). In fact setting unbreakable passwords should not be particularly difficult when there is help available in the form of random password generators.

5- Manage your social media settings

Keep your personal and private information closed. Social engineering cyber criminals can often get your personal information with only a few data points, so the less publicly shared you are, the better. For example, if you post your pet's name or reveal your mother's maiden name, you can answer two common safety questions.

6- Take measures to help protect yourself against identity theft

Identity theft occurs when someone misappropriates your personal data which includes fraud or deception, usually for financial gain. how? For example, you may be tricked into giving personal information over the Internet, or a thief may steal to access your mail account information.
This is why it is important to protect your personal data. A VPN - short for virtual private networks - can help secure the data you send online, especially when accessing the Internet over public Wi-Fi.

7- Strengthen your home network

It is a good idea to start with a strong private encryption password as well as a virtual private network. A VPN will encrypt all traffic leaving your devices until they reach their destination. If cyber criminals manage to hack your communication line, they write nothing but encrypting the data. It is a good idea to use a VPN whenever you are on a public Wi-Fi network, whether it is at a library, cafe, hotel or airport.


8-Freeze your credit

It is not surprising that your credit is unsecured, especially given recent breaches such as Equifax that compromised 145.5 million records of sensitive customer data. If this data breech (or other cyber attack) is something you're worried about, you should freeze your credit in advance. If not, this is definitely something to consider going forward that may prevent your credit from being stolen or affected in the future.

A credit freeze blocks access to your credit file. To do this, you must contact all three credit bureaus. Once frozen, no one can open anything under your credit. That way, if someone tries to open an account using your credit, take a loan, etc., it will be rejected. Since only you will be able to lift the freeze, it is very easy to ensure that you are the only one using your credit.

9- Learn Common Scams

Laughter may be the best medicine, but education is the best vaccine. The best way to protect yourself from compromise is to find out what kind of tricks and techniques are there to retrieve the data, and what you can do to avoid and prevent them. Reading news to stay current will tell you about attackers and social engineers.
Phone and email scams are the most common and effective methods that social engineers use to get on your data. Be honest with the type of phone messages with specific social engineering plans. Understand that before opening an email make sure that the links and attachments are protected. Developing a strong knowledge base around hacking trends is an important way for you to not fall prey to attacks.

10- Limit employee access to data and information, and limit authorization to install software

While you should trust your employees, not everyone should be private to all your data. By dividing access and creating redundancy - even if there is malicious access - you don't want to give anyone the ability to access everything. Restricting HR files to only HR staff and CEOs is an example.
Furthermore, while most software downloads look legitimate, the sophistication hackers use to hide malware that they are looking at spontaneously can cripple a network. Allowing everyone to download games and applications can cause trouble to your company.

Know what to do if you are Suffering ? 

If you believe that you have become a victim of cyber crime, you need to alert the local police and in some cases the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission. This is important even if the offense seems minor.
Your report may help officers in their investigations or prevent future criminals from taking advantage of other people. If you believe that cyber criminals have stolen your identity. These are among the steps you should consider.

1. Contact companies and banks where you know fraud has occurred.
2. Keep fraud alerts and get your credit report.
3. Report identity theft to the FTC.

Thank you for reading...

Hope you find it useful , if yes ... Let me know in commemts & if you have any other tips regarding above article then please share in comments.