Personal Cybersecurity Hacks

Are you familiar with the small tasks that can help keep your information protected?
When we think of cybersecurity, we often think of sophisticated mechanisms that large-scale organizations use to protect their data. But even in spite of these efforts, more and more frequently we are seeing data breaches happen to large, supposedly secure organizations. It’s easy for regular internet users to feel overwhelmed and helpless when it comes to simply protecting what’s on their personal laptop or mobile devices. With cybersecurity threats and hackers seemingly lurking in every corner of the internet—and more users, IP addresses, and network traffic than ever for them to prey on—how are regular people supposed to protect themselves?
In their annual report on data security and threat predictions, McAfee Lab reminds us that “although people often think of organized crime and other criminals, potential adversaries also include hacktivists, nation-states, and others not necessarily seeking direct financial gain. As we look ahead to the personalization and consumerization of cyberattacks, adversaries may also include a competitor, political opponent, spouse, neighbor, or other personal nemesis, as well as the rising activity of chaotic actors who just want to see things burn.”
This is almost enough to make us give up on cybersecurity altogether and hope for the best. But complacency is not the answer. In fact, there are many very simple, low-tech steps you can take to make yourself a tougher target to hackers and scammers. You don’t even need to buy expensive software, hardware, or hire an expert to assess your potential weaknesses. Once you learn that what hackers or scammers are often looking for is simply the weakest link in a chain, you can find that changing some of your online habits can go a long way towards protecting you from nefarious attacks. Here are a list of ways you can strengthen your defenses:
Get serious about your passwords: This piece of advice is so often repeated it seems obvious, but there are plenty of people who don’t take it to heart. Have a distinct password for everything, make sure it’s at least 8 characters and alphanumeric, and make sure that it has nothing obviously to do with defining features of your life (i.e. where you went to school, the street you live on, your dog’s name). So many attacks are brute force—that is, guessing a password—so the more obscure and impossible to guess you can make your password, the better.
Cover your webcam: At a recent event at Kenyon College in Ohio, FBI Director James Comey told the audience that he covers the webcam on his computer with a piece of tape. This may seem like an extremely analog measure, but the FBI director knows that “hackers can use malicious software called a remote access trojan (RAT) to take over your computer, record your conversations, or even turn on your webcam to spy on you,” as the website Naked Security explained. This is such a simple precaution, there’s no reason you shouldn’t do it.
Use encryption for sensitive conversations: For sensitive conversations that you don’t want to get out, use a platform that offers easy encryption. Viber, iMessage, and WhatsApp have all enabled encryption on their platforms by default, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t use it as it doesn’t require any additional effort on your part. A general rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t want it plastered on a billboard in Times Square, make sure what you’re typing is encrypted.
Be vigilant about your mailbox: Experts say that being hyper aware of the links you click on and the downloads you opt to open is key. A number of the most high-profile cyber attacks recently have been the result of an employee clicking on a link or downloading an attachment that’s a phishing expedition or virus. If you’re not 100% sure the email is legit, don’t download or open it. If it’s from someone you know but looks suspicious, ask them to verify its legitimacy via another communication channel (like text or Twitter).

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