Computer Security Basics: Essential Steps to Protect Your Data

Nowadays, every person needs to know about computer security basics to keep important information and computers safe. Whether you are a common user, a businessperson, or anyone else, you should be aware of the threat of eating. Because only you can be saved if you know the chunky relationship. So, we’ll try to give you the essentials to help you stay safe online.

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1. What is Computer Security?

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2. Why is Computer Security Important?

Let’s take a look at all the reasons why computer security is so important.

1. Data Security: Your important data can be exposed to cyber attacks anytime without proper security measures. This can lead to financial loss and loss of reputation.
2. Identity Theft Prevention: With the rise of online transactions and digital identities over the Internet, personal identity can help prevent identity theft. Which is very important for your financial and personal life.
3. System Integrity: Another essential function of computer security is to maintain the integrity of computer systems and work for their reliable operation. Unsafe practices can lead to system failure or corrupted data, which affects productivity and efficiency.
4. User trust: Companies that prioritize computer security are more trusted by customers and always seek service from them.
5. Ensured Business Continuity: A sudden cyber attack can disrupt the business operations of an organization. This can lead to financial loss and reputational damage to the organization. Hence cyber security can ensure business continuity.
6. Legal Compliance: Every industrial organization is required to maintain certain security standards for data protection. Failure to maintain or comply with data protection standards may result in legal penalties and loss of business license

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3. Common Types of Cyber Threats

Nowadays cyber security risks are increasing a lot. Creating risk on people’s personal life as well as business. Some notable cyber attacks are discussed below:

1. Phishing Attack: A phishing attack is very similar to fishing with a net. Such attacks trick users into stealing important passwords and credit card information through email, phone calls, or fake websites. Anyone who steps into this trap is a victim of a phishing attack.
2. Ransomware: This is a type of malware that enters the victim’s mobile or computer and encrypts important data with powerful programs. It then demands payment from the user in exchange for decryption.
3. Viruses and Malware: Viruses and malware can get attached to your computer through unsecured downloads and suspicious emails. It can corrupt computer programs and cause various types of damage or disable the computer.
4. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): In this attack, attackers attack individual or organizations network to steal or destroy information. The attack is much like a traffic jam. These attacks flood with overwhelming traffic from multiple sources simultaneously. This makes the network system slow and vulnerable. It is precisely at this time that cyber attackers achieve their goals.
5. Cryptojacking: Mining cryptic currency with someone’s mobile or computer without consent. Such criminal acts are committed by close people.

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4. Basic Steps to Improve Computer Security

Improving computer security is very important to avoid cyber attacks. Here are the basic steps to improve computer security:

1. Use strong passwords: The first and most advanced step in computer security is to use strong and large passwords. Using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and a variety of symbols you can create a strong passsword. You Must avoid using passwords with your name, birthday or similar predictable information.
2. Enable two factor authentication: If 2 factor authentication is enabled, two types of verification must be done before accessing the account. Which greatly strengthens your security. Even if the hacker knows your password, another verification will be required. Another code can be sent to your phone number or a code from the Google Authenticator app.
3. Regular software updates: Every user needs to keep their device’s operating system, antivirus and applications updated for security reasons. Because the purpose of updates is to fix vulnerabilities and add new features. Keep in mind that updates often contain security patches.

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5. Best Practices for Safe Browsing

1. Avoid suspicious links and downloads: Most of the suspicious links on social media these days are people sending each other. Because most of the links have attractive offers. Keep in mind that these are hacker’s traps. Never click on unknown or such links. Use known websites to download the apps and files you need. Avoid using crack files.
2. Use secure websites (HTTPS): Before using any website, you must know whether the website is safe for you. Websites using HTTPS (that is, hypertext transfer protocol) are completely secure. Because they will encrypt your data so that it will not be stolen.
3. Use of a well-known powerful antivirus: Antivirus is a program that can detect malware, viruses, and other threats on the computer and remove them very easily. So everyone should use antivirus and make sure it is updated. Some of the most popular antiviruses today are 1.BitDefender, 2.Norton-360, 3.Avast One
4. Safe browser usage: Microsoft Internet Explorer is very efficient and well-known, but less extensible than Firefox and Chrome browsers. But I would suggest you to use another browser for safe browsing. whose name is Tor. Tor is a complete online security tool that acts as an anti-surveillance tool. This browser will hide your online activity and location. It will keep the browsing experience private and block tracking cookies.

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6. Regular Backing Up Your Data

Backup your important data or files regularly. You can use an external hard drive or cloud storage for backup. All your files or data may be lost or corrupted due to sudden cyber attack or failure of your system. If you have a backup file, you can restore it very easily. This is one of the ways to avoid cyber attacks.

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7. Secure Your Wi-Fi Network

Securing WiFi networks is very important. Because if your network is not secured, you can easily fall under the hands of hackers at any time. Here are some important ways to protect your WiFi network:

1. The most important task is to change the router’s default password.
2. Enter password using numbers and symbols with lowercase and uppercase letters.
3. Do not write down WiFi passwords anywhere in your home or office.
4. Make sure your network is encrypted using WPA3. Because it is the latest and most secure encryption protocol.
5. You can run your WiFi network with setting private mode. Then unauthorized user can not see your network and can not access your wifi.
6. Regularly keep up to date your router’s firmware.

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8. Conclusion: Stay Aware

An attentive and cautious person can easily secure his data. Data security is very important and urgent issue in modern era. Cyber ​​attackers can wreak havoc on your life and business due to your carelessness. So it is important to be careful from the beginning. By following the above computer security tips, you can reduce the risk of cyber attacks.