In addition to altering the way the system works, cyberattacks / attackers may tend to steal valuable information such as credit card numbers and other information of value to the owner of the infected device.
The cyber attack does not happen alone, it is deliberate, if you are using the Internet with your PC’s mobile devices, you are at great risk. But how can you protect yourself from this growing threat?
We are going to discuss that, but it is vital to note that the country Nigeria is among the top ten countries with the highest risk of cyber attack.
You don’t have to be a cybercrime expert to protect yourself and your devices; however, even if you are a newbie, you can do a lot to protect yourself.
PROTECT YOURSELF
1. Avoid a second-hand device
In Nigeria, the market is rife with second-hand laptops, desktops, and mobile devices; of course, these devices are cheap and affordable compared to newer devices; Also, in some areas, buyers believe that most second-hand devices are more durable than new devices. .
Although the above, by the way, everyone who buys second-hand devices gets in the crossfire of cybercrime or cyberattacks. How is that?
This is because some of these devices may have been infected by malware. Buying a second-hand device is like adopting a child, not just a child, but a teenager, who might have acquired many bad habits and traits.
Also, some cheap second-hand devices may have previously been used to commit crimes, such as kidnapping, imagine you bought a device associated with said crime, this will put you in the crossfire of a police investigation.
You may be arrested for a crime you did not commit.
2. Consider what you download and install
Have you ever tried to install an application? And did your device warn you that it is not from a reliable source?
Or maybe you tried to download a video, music, or PDF, and what you end up downloading is an app?
In layman’s explanation, such downloads are somehow unsafe for you and your device; In this case, instead of bypassing your device’s firewall (security) by ignoring its warning, it is recommended that you heed that warning.
3. Use safe websites
But how do you know if a website is safe or not?
Websites are like houses, some are fenced, some are not, some have CCTV cameras, some do not.
Wouldn’t you prefer a fenced-in home to one that isn’t?
If that’s the case, the internet is very volatile in terms of security, one must make sure they are protected.
Secure websites have an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate c, which is usually indicated by a padlock symbol in the address bar.
Some websites also use CAPTCHAs, in especially sensitive areas like the login page, take your time to resolve these CAPTCHAs and don’t be impatient.
4. Use antivirus
Get good antivirus software and keep a regular scan of your system.
An antivirus is like headache pain relievers, but sometimes when the symptom persists you may need to see a doctor, this leads to the fifth point.
5. Visit a good technician
Have an experienced technician check your device from time to time, the technician should not only be experienced, but also trustworthy. This is because some technicians can also manually plant malware on your system.
If your system hangs or is unresponsive, some apps are misbehaving, then know that you may be at risk. You may need a deep antivirus scan or visit a technician.
6. Be smart on social media
A friend once said: “‘maturity’ is when you stop posting or sharing all the events that happen in your life on the social network.”
Some people share more than they save, some people use their date of birth, nicknames, as a password and pin, however, this same information is publicly displayed on the wall or page of their social network.
Cybercriminals are smart, the key is this, load less, say less, know more, use a password that has uppercase, lowercase and symbols, as this will be difficult to predict for both man and computer (example instead of berry1111, you can use bERry! / “@).
7. Stay up-to-date
Whenever your system or software on your system needs an update, you always update it, this is because the system and software developers may have detected a serious security flaw in the previous version, so an immediate update will be necessary .
Therefore, if you refuse or remain firm in making the update, you may be susceptible to such security flaws, even this article will be continuously updated.