Happy New Year & Cyber Security – 6 new steps to consider in 2019.
Malware attacks, data breaches, security hacks and microtargeted personalized advertising all formed part of the digital low life in 2018.
In order to keep up with the modern world, technologies must advance. So how does one keep up with security and software protection. With the commencement of 2019 and new software releases, here are a few tips on keeping your digital life free from manipulative use.
- Create boundaries and abide by them.
Research shows the best way to stay safe is by setting boundaries. Agree on what data you are happy to share involving online services and apps and stay bound to it. This is preparation for when you are asked to share data falling out of any agreement. Consider reducing your time spent on online discussions and it may be useful to set a time limitation on digital security as it is endlessly time consuming.
- Setting filter trends.
People who find news on social media, set their social media feed trends. Due to this those people are unlikely to find news they disagree on as they will be displayed with articles they have previously shown agreement with. This isolates people in developing further views and reduces their chances of generating a different angle.
All Slides and Purple Feed are free online tools that display social media reports and news reports involving different political perspectives. The information comes from across the political spectrum and does not replicate previous search histories.
- Having a safe password.
The strength of your password does not determine the safety of your account, as people tend to reuse their passwords for many accounts. It is known that researchers are notified when a reused password has been leaked. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use different passwords. A password manager software can be used to detect hacks. (Do read our article on pin numbers)
- Using a multi-factor authentication.
Having an additional pin number, when logging into your financial accounts, social media and emails adds a lot more protection. Multi-factor authentication sends you a six-digit pin code as part of your log in process. For more protection you can even consider a code-generating app.
- Deleting apps you no longer use.
Apps loaded on your phone track you and provide your information to marketing and advertising agencies. Therefore, if you no longer use an App delete it and if you need it again, redownload it. This reduces companies tracking where you go, time spent at locations and identity recognition.
- Updating the apps you use.
Useful advice provided by experts is to ensure software on your computers and apps on your phone are always kept up to date.
These 6 ideas will help reduce the chances of hackers exploiting your data and allow you to keep safe and on high alert in 2019.
© 2019 Whitestone Chambers