Always keep Data Loss Prevention Software up to date
Software,
especially operating systems, but also browsers and browser extensions,
regularly have newly discovered vulnerabilities. Attackers can use these
vulnerabilities, for example, to steal your data, install sniffing software on
your computer or to lock you out completely. It is therefore essential to
keep your software up to date. Microsoft, Apple and other providers have
an automatic update function. You shouldn't turn this off. Regularly
install the “security updates”, “patches” and “service packs” from the
manufacturer in order to eliminate weak points.
To check
whether your Windows is up-to-date, press the “Windows key”, enter “Windows
Update” and confirm with Enter. The overview that now appears shows
whether the relevant updates are available.
Back up data regularly
A regular
backup of essential data protects against data loss. The selection of the
data to be backed up and the frequency of the backup play an important role
here. Individual files and folders can be saved as well as an image of the
entire computer. Ideally, on an external storage medium that is kept in a
safe place. If the computer and the backup are destroyed in a fire, you no
longer have a backup.
Some
manufacturers also offer cloud solutions to enable recovery from any location. A well-known provider of backup software
is Unistal’s Crash Proof , for example .
Use anti-virus software
Up-to-date
anti-virus software is part of the basic protection of every
computer. Make sure that this is activated and kept up to
date. Ideally, a "Security Suite" should be used, as a firewall
is already integrated here. If the anti-virus software used does not have an integrated
firewall, it is important that the firewall integrated into the operating
system is activated.
Here are a
few well-known manufacturers:
·
G Data
·
Bitdefender Internet Security
Be careful
with unknown e-mail attachments
A large proportion of harmful software (malware) such as viruses, worms or Trojans spreads via email. It is therefore important not to carelessly open e-mail attachments from unknown senders.
You can do
the following:
·
Check the
return address
·
Do not
open any attachments, regardless of whether they are documents or images
·
Don't
click any links in the email
·
Do not
answer the email under any circumstances
·
Define the
email as spam and move it to the folder provided for this purpose.
Protect data with encryption
Confidential
data is best protected against unauthorized access by third parties with
encryption. A laptop breaks down quickly and involuntarily changes hands.
It is
important to store the passwords for encrypted data securely. If this is
lost, you cannot use the data. VeraCrypt (free) or Boxcryptor (basic version free)
are suitable for this purpose.
Passwords
In
everyday life you use many programs, websites and user accounts for which you
need a password. To protect your personal data, it should be a secure
password. Because we often use passwords that we think are secure, but
actually aren't.
Tips for a strong password
If you
need to set a new password, please note the following points:
· Use at
least 10 characters, 12 or more are better. The longer the password, the
harder it is to crack.
· Use upper
and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. The more varied, the
better.
·
Avoid
using the same character twice in a row.
· The order
of the characters should be chosen randomly. Keyboard patterns are not
random and increase the likelihood that your password will be cracked.
· Trivial
passwords such as names, birthdays or words found in dictionaries are not
advisable and should not be used.
· Change
preset passwords instantly.
· If you
suspect that your password has fallen into the wrong hands, change it
immediately. To be on the safe side, it is best to assign new passwords directly
for all programs and user accounts.
If you
take all of these tips to heart, the result is a rather complicated
password. Since you shouldn't write down your passwords, I recommend a
passphrase. This is something like a memo. You think of a sentence that
you can easily remember and create a password based on it. To do this, you simply form a sentence from
several words and use this as a password. For example, a passphrase could
be:
Fresh
vegetable pizza
You
already have a password with 37 characters, which is relatively difficult to
crack. You can decorate it with special characters, numbers and “wrong”
letters. For this you can z. Swap a g for a 9, an a for an @ or an i
for a!.
Then the
password would be:
!
chesse9ernenudelnfr! sches9emüsepizz @
Why you should use a separate password for each page
We have to
remember a large number of passwords. Often we then use one password for
several or even all pages.
Imagine the following:
One of your accounts is hacked and the attacker knows your universal password. Now he can log into all of your other accounts. Into the mail program, online banking, online shops and dating apps, where you can act, shop and change settings completely freely. A disaster with unpleasant consequences.
If you have more than ten passwords, you have to manage them somehow. One option is a password manager. You type all passwords into a secure database and call them up with a master password. Then you just have to remember the master password.
KeePassXC is my first
recommendation. In the open source project, the database with your
passwords is saved as a file on your own hard drive. The software is free
of charge. An alternative is Last pass, in which the
passwords are saved on the provider's server. This has the advantage that
you can always access it from anywhere. Big disadvantage: Your passwords
are on other people's computers. I advise against that now.
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