In the late 1990s, the World Wide Web was born in the 1990s, opening up the possibility of a new world of possibilities as well as threats. Spam was a major cause of email disruption and computer viruses caused chaos on corporate networks and hacking was a huge issue. Hackers could steal your personal information and even take over your online bank or credit account, and sell your personal information on the dark web for a large amount of money.
Your online experience is more complex than ever. You’re using a smartphone; you shop online and bank online, you use Facebook and other social media platforms, and your home appliances that are connected to the internet and IoT devices are monitoring and report on your activities. Hackers can access all of this data, regardless if they are part of a criminal group or a universityparkcarecenter.com/students-choice-information-technology-vs-computer-technology random person with a political agenda.
Create strong passwords for all your online accounts. Use a password manager to manage the passwords. Consider the use of two-step authentication, which adds an extra layer of security by having you enter a code that has been sent to your phone or email address in addition to your password when you sign in. Encrypt your hard drive so that hackers cannot access your data, even if you are able to gain control of your computer or mobile device. Also, make sure you disable “run as administrator” on your computer, don’t root or jailbreak your phones, and shut down your computer instead of running all day long (all-time running slows down your device’s performance and opens the door for cyberattacks). You can reduce your risk by using proper software for malware scans removal, uninstalling and data encryption.