7 Cybersecurity Tips Everyone Should Know

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Around the world, there are more than 30,000 cyber attacks every single day. These attackers come after both personal and business accounts, no one is safe from these attempts! And that’s why every person who uses a computer or the internet needs to make cybersecurity a priority no matter what. Cyberattacks can range from small and inconvenient to large and very expensive. It’s crucial to do all you can to avoid having your accounts and personal information compromised. 

For many, this kind of security seems overwhelming and they don’t know where to start. If that’s you, follow these cybersecurity tips to get started building a solid security plan. 

1. Focus on Authentication Strength

Most websites and programs require some kind of account before you can access their services or products. This will generally come with a need to verify it’s you trying to enter the system through some kind of authentication, like a password. 

It’s easy to want to use a simple password that you can remember on the spot without many prompts and to use that across multiple platforms. Unfortunately, this makes you very vulnerable to attacks and hacks. You should always be using a unique password for every site that has a variety of characters and symbols. 

When there is an option to have multi-step authentication you should take that as well for another layer of defense. 

2. Back-Up Data Often

When you’re using your device as a way to store files and data, it’s important to make sure it’s backed up often. In case you have to clear the device after an attempted hack, you won’t have to worry about losing anything important along the way. Instead, you can focus on refortifying your systems. 

Backing-up files is easiest when you have a clear organizational system in place on your device. This way you know where everything is and nothing will be forgotten. 

Another of our cybersecurity tips is to keep a copy of your most important files in another location, like an external hard drive, for even more security. 

3. Keep Personal Info Close

There are many times as you live your digital life when you’ll be asked to share personal information online. This can be to create an account or to personalize the service more. But it’s important to work to protect your information as much as possible to avoid it being stolen and used in ways you don’t want. 

The easiest way to do that is to avoid sharing that information in the first place. Read through agreements to see what has to be shared and what is optional, then follow those guidelines. The more you keep close, the less vulnerable you are. 

4. Regularly Update Software

Next on our list of cybersecurity tips is to regularly update your software. Cyber hackers are very clever and are always changing the way they are getting into systems and retrieving the data they want. Luckily, software security professionals are just as clever and are always creating new security measures to save you from these attacks. They follow trends closely and shape their software around what they’re seeing. 

But all of these upgrades are useless unless you update your systems often to utilize the new technology. 

Keeping your software and security programs updated is the best way to increase your protection without much effort. Simply paying attention to notifications and checking for updates once a month will get the job done! 

5. Think Critically 

While not all successful cyber attacks can be prevented, there are a lot of instances where these horrible situations were avoidable with just a little extra care. 

As you’re using your devices, make sure to think critically about each thing you click on or sign up for. This is especially important when going through your emails. Phishing and scam emails are a regular occurrence and can be very well disguised to look like legitimate offers. Always double-check the sender’s address to make sure it’s correct and don’t click on anything suspicious. 

6. Train All Users

It’s a great first step to start to inform yourself about security issues and how to better protect your digital life. But your device is still very vulnerable if there are other potential users who are not as up-to-date as you. 

Next on our list of cybersecurity tips is that every device user should have the same training on cyber security practices, especially in a business setting. 

Part of being a good team is making sure everyone has all the information they need to do their jobs correctly, including how to keep their devices and information safe online. Having regular meetings where you can share changes and updates to policies and procedures will keep security at the forefront of everyone’s mind. 

7. Only Use Secure Connections 

Our digital presence has become such a major part of our daily life it can be tempting to want to be connected at all times. This is fine as long as you are only using secure connections. 

Public access wifi can be great in a pinch but can also leave you much more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and mishaps. They don’t have the same security measures in place that your secure, password-protected connection will. If using this type of connection is necessary, you’ll have to be extra cautious in what data you access and what systems you use. 

Cybersecurity Tips for Everyone 

Cyber attacks are always a hassle to deal with, no matter if they happen to your personal or business accounts. At the very least, it’s annoying to have to redo verification steps and security measures. At the most, you can lose a lot of money and personal information that should be kept private. 

Following these cybersecurity tips will help you to stay on top of your protection practices and keep them at a high priority. You’ll feel better knowing you’re doing what you can to avoid these issues altogether.