2016 presents more cyber threats than ever, but there are also more solutions than ever. Here at Tech Sentries, we’re working hard to help you “Guard Your Technology” and stay protected and secure! The following are some great tips to help you get used to practicing “safe cyber” habits.

Common Cyber-Attacks:

Cyber-attacks are no joke and unfortunately, they are increasing all the time. According to several reports, the most concerning cyber-attacks for this year include hacking and other means of online extortion, scams that involve hacking and stealing passwords, scams involving asking you to “recovery your passwords,” digital threats and hacks that can actually cause damage to your hardware, and many other such attacks. Because of the huge increase in our use of mobile devices, the attacks on mobile security have also increased significantly.
The best way to prevent mobile cyber attacks is to prevent your personal info from being exposed. This means, if possible, don’t store personal data on mobile devices. If you must keep it there, be sure to NEVER keep it all in the same location! If you were to be hacked on your mobile device, it would be way too easy to gain access to everything—your credit cards, ID, and other info — especially if you make it easy by keeping it all in one neat folder.
There is another cyber-attack method happening more and more called ransomware. This is where entire systems in hospitals and schools, etc., become hacked into and all the files and data are rendered useless. The only way to restore the lost files is for the victim to pay a huge sum of money to the hacker to restore it, which may or may not work! This rewards the criminal behavior, but at the same time, people feel they have no choice. Unfortunately, giving into the demands of these hackers’ only increases the likelihood that the cyber attacks will continue.

Password Recovery Scams:

There are many scams involving password recovery. Cyber criminals hack into your email account and then gain access to passwords and other sensitive information. Not only is your account (and life) seriously compromised, but the hackers also have access to all your contacts, which could cause your friends, family and business associates to be attacked as well. It’s a very ugly problem.

Back Up Your Data:

Since digital attacks can really render your devices unusable or even frozen, it’s important that you make a habit of backing up all your information on a regular basis! Just remember there are three rules to follow – back up, back up and back up. It’s the best and only proven way to recover lost data should anything happen to your computer or mobile device.

One other crucial tip is NEVER use the same password or username for multiple accounts. Get in the habit of creating passwords that are extremely strong, using symbol characters, capital and lowercase letters and numbers. The combination of these characters will make it far more difficult to hack into anything. Change your passwords regularly – at least once every couple of months, and even more often if you can.

Anything that has a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection can be a target of digital attacks as well. You may not be aware that modern appliances such as refrigerators, smart cars, smart TVs, etc., do not come equipped with software programs that protect them against hackers and cyber-attacks. This doesn’t leave you feeling very safe for sure. So what to do? Back up your files and all data! Keep up with your backups and keep them going.

Update Vulnerable Applications:

Keep them up to date and you will be keeping yourself safer. It can be inconvenient, but it’s well worth it! These updates are where programs fix breaches or holes in security. Getting lazy about installing updates just makes you more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
At Tech Sentries, we do this for you.

We hope these tips have helped you get started with keeping your safe from cyber threats. For more information, call Tech Sentries today! (843) 282-2222!