Protecting your Home From Cyber Attacks–How to Protect your Home from Cyber Attacks
More than ever, Hackers are exploiting security flaws to break into home networks, and the United States homes are the most hit. According to Hartford Steam Boiler, one in every ten homes has experienced a cyber attack.
The situation is worsened by the lack of security knowledge by the victims. However, one does not have to be a security expert to protect him/herself home from cyber attacks. In this article, you will learn how to protect your home from a cyber attack.
Keep your Software Updated
A large number of the security flaws exploited by attackers have been found and corrected by the software developer. However, as a result of software users not having the updated version, they still fall for the attacks. At any point in time, keep your Operating System (OS) and application software up to date and never play with security updates. It is advisable to turn on automatic updates – most programs have this feature.
Secure your Network
It is no news saying your home network is a crucial target for those into cyber crimes. What is new is how unsecured some people unknowingly leave their home networks. Keeping your home network secured is one of the undoings of cyber attackers. To ensure your home network is safe, you can do the following:
- Keep your home router name private.
- Change its default login details.
- Create a secure password consisting of symbols, letters, and numbers.
- Use WPA2 instead of WEP.
- Make sure you activate your router encryption.
Secure your Phone
Your smartphone brings with it a lot of easy. With it, you can control the IoT devices in the home through their apps. This comes with the disadvantage of giving an attacker assess to the home devices ones he/she has your smartphone. To prevent this, secure your phone with a strong password consisting of symbols, letters, and numbers.
Set Up Anti-virus and Firewall
One of the ways to protect your home from cyber attacks is by having an anti-virus on your system. While free anti-virus can protect you, it is best you go for paid ones. Paid anti-virus provide better security and protection. Also, make sure your firewall is on as it can identify and prevent a cyber attack.
Mind What you Download and Install
This is one of the points a lot of people don’t pay attention to. Before downloading anything from the Internet, make sure the source is a credible one to avoid downloading software, documents, and other files will be infected sources. Always read the privacy policy before doing any form of downloading and installation of software. It is important to avoid carrying out financial transactions on without an SSL certificate.
Back Up your Data
It is essential to back up your data regularly just in case. This should be done weekly and will help in cases you got attacked and denied access to your data.
The points discussed above can help you prevent cyber attacks at home. However, no one can guarantee you 100 percent safety. In case of an attack, do not panic, please do the following:
- Change your password immediately.
- Monitor your banking and credit card accounts and report any unauthorized activity.
- Do not pay the attacker – you are not sure your files will be restored.
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