Simple solutions to deal with hackers

  France’s cyber security agency recently changed its guidelines, stating that forced frequent changes lead to a lower level of password security. As a result, the agency does not recommend that users change their passwords regularly.

Saving your data regularly should become a habit. You will learn how useful this is in case of a hardware failure or a virus.

Here are four simple ways to protect your data and devices from being hacked:

1- Choose a strong password

Yes, this is the most boring advice in this article, but it’s still the most effective. According to the results of the online security survey conducted by Google and the Harris polling company in 2019, 13% of users use the same password for all their accounts.

Doing so leaves you vulnerable if your credentials are leaked in a data breach, and we’ve seen much of that over the past few years. To find out if you have been affected by one of these breaches, you can check haveibeenpwned.com by entering your email or phone number.

This site searches through published violations. If your email appears on the list, it is recommended that you change your password immediately and choose a stronger one. For example, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) recommends combining three random words.

This is a particular precaution for your mailbox, that stores all kinds of sensitive information. Despite some disagreements, the easiest way to keep track of different logins is to use a password manager to manage passwords. Even though no solution is 100% secure, a password manager allows you to have a variety of strong passwords and encrypt passwords.

Do you need to change your passwords regularly? This is an important question. France’s cyber security agency recently changed its guidelines, stating that forced frequent changes lead to a lower level of password security. As a result, the agency does not recommend that users change their passwords regularly. Of course, this does not apply to IT managers.

2- Secure your transactions with two-step authentication

Two-factor authentication, as the name suggests, combines a password with another method: a text message, an app, or a biometric identification. The National Cyber Security Center recommends using it for “high-impact” activities, such as transferring money or adding credit card details. Yes, two-factor authentication can be time-consuming, but it provides an extra safety net in a data breach.

3- Save your data

Saving your data regularly should become a habit. You will learn how useful this is in case of a hardware failure or a virus. Also, data storage makes you less vulnerable to ransomware attacks, which have increased since the Covid pandemic.

You can store backups on external storage that you keep separate from your computer or in the cloud. Experts recommend using a 3-2-1 strategy: three copies of your data are stored in two different types of storage, with one copy stored in a different location.

4- Update

What is the benefit of updating the software? According to the National Cyber Security Center, regular updates bring new security features. The most important points to focus on are the operating system (OS) of your web browsers and antivirus. In most devices, you can enable automatic update mode.

Finally, if you’re working on sensitive data in public (or if you want to work without judgment), you can use a privacy screen for your computer. This option consists of a polarized piece that limits the viewing angle between 30 and 60 degrees and usually costs less than 50 euros for a laptop screen, and you can consider it a window curtain for your screen.