The need for cybersecurity is growing, and everyone knows it. Cybercrime is highly rampant in this age, and almost everyone has been a victim. The attacks differ in range, some are brutal, leading to loss of sensitive information, and others may be very mild.
Mild cyberattacks pose no real threat, which is why some may claim that they have not been on the receiving end of cybercrime before. In truth, cyberattacks occur in thousands daily, as shown by the statistics gotten from verified sources.
The application of technological processes to everyday life has led to an increase in the number of previously physical tasks that users perform online.
Even more, people are opting to use cloud storage services provided by host server companies instead of physical storage devices.
As a result, we store a lot more information online, all of which must be password protected through login. Unfortunately, the passwords for these log-in processes can be compromised through the activities of hackers or malware and phishing attacks.
As such, these passwords must be made secure through one or more of the following processes:
Guide to secure passwords and login
- Strong Passwords – for login purposes, website administrators should insist on using passwords that are difficult to bypass. An ideal password would be a string of alphabets – both upper and lowercase, numbers, and special functions.
Using a password consisting of the above features would make it harder to predict and crack, rather than using the name of a loved one or an important date to you.
- Password Manager – despite knowing the inherent risks associated, you would be amazed at the number of people that still use the same password across several different logins.
Even if the password is a strong one, it could still be compromised in any number of ways, and the implication of which would be a password breach across all your logins, some of which may contain sensitive or private information.
Given the apparent difficulty associated with remembering different strong passwords, you can use a password manager to save all your passwords for other websites, requiring you only to remember the password for the manager.
- Multi-Factor Authentication – for logins containing important information, users and firms are advised to set up multi-factor authentication that requires whoever has to log in to bypass different levels and different forms of security checks before gaining access.
Password-based security, Biometric security, and Token-based security methods are the more common ways of securing information.
Multi-Factor authentication typically requires the user to provide credentials for a combination of authentication types before the person is allowed access.
Security Tools to further secure your online activities/network
- Secure Browsers – some websites are known best for their security by not keeping track of your browsing activity and preventing unauthorized websites from doing so as well.
Using browsers like this when accessing private documents online can help assure you of your security. As an added security measure, you could browse in an incognito mode that does not save your browsing history or whatever information you may enter into forms.
- Virtual Private Networks – another way users can secure their network while using the internet is through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
VPNs are used by millions of active internet users worldwide to encrypt their connection to protect it from cybercriminals and transmit their location as another if need be.
Protecting your network can be easily achieved by downloading a VPN and connecting to it before accessing your browser.
Conclusion
Much like physical security, we must take cybersecurity seriously to keep ourselves and documents safe from harm. Cybercriminals develop new methods every day to steal information from us, which is why it is crucial to equip ourselves with the best cybersecurity measures available.
