With more and more people working from home and using computers for school and business, it is more important than ever to protect yourself. Doug Potter, CEO and co-owner of Thread Networks, shares tips on how to protect your device and your valuable information. With 25 years of experience in IT networks and systems, he provides expert advice.
“Chances are you are spending a lot more time and money online. You are reading more emails, creating more online accounts, using more software, and paying more subscription fees. Cybercriminals see the opportunities to steal your personal data, your payment information, or scam funds,” Doug says.
There are fundamental things everyone should be doing to keep their computer and accounts safe as they go about their online life. If you are not diligent, opening the wrong files can destroy irreplaceable files and photos.
· Recognize theses threats:
o Email attachments
o Fake links
o Infected documents
o Rogue websites
o Free Games & Apps
o browser extensions
· Keep Your devices and apps updated.
· Identity, Password, and Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
o Use unique and complex passwords everywhere.
§ It's hard but it is one of the best defenses against attackers going laterally into your accounts.
§ Use a password manager like Dashlane, 1Password, or LastPass.
o Use Multifactor Authentication (MFA) on online accounts where available.
§ Use the feature to text or email you a code to finish logging into your account.
§ Better yet, use an authenticator app like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy to generate codes.
o Anti-virus, anti-malware, and a disk/file backup service
§ Prevent what you can with anti-virus and anti-malware. It is better than wiping a computer, changing all your passwords, putting back on an operating system, reinstalling all your applications, and restoring files.
§ Backup what you can't afford to lose. Don't rely on Google, Microsoft, or Dropbox as your only backup.
o Even better: add content-aware firewall and DNS filtering servers.
§ Firewalls that scan and block suspicious traffic before it reaches your network.
o Make your email paranoid.
§ Set All security settings to High.
§ Be wary of all attachments and embedded links in emails.
§ Don't log into accounts using email links even if you trust the sender -- always go to the website directly.
Why is all of this so important?
“Recovering a computer from a virus or breach is time-consuming and expensive. Losing files that cannot be replaced is a nightmare but totally preventable,” Doug emphasizes.
Person Information:
Thread Networks, Inc.
Phone: 720.605.2355
