Even people who take cybersecurity seriously make some serious mistakes that make it easier for hackers to wreak havoc. A cybersecurity expert points out 5 ways we compromise our own digital safety.
Even people who take cybersecurity seriously make some serious mistakes that make it easier for hackers to wreak havoc. A cybersecurity expert points out 5 ways we compromise our own digital safety.
Most of us don’t take the security of our digital lives nearly as seriously as we should. And even if we do, we all make some serious mistakes that can come back to haunt us, quite badly. What makes it much worse, is that we make these mistakes, thinking that they are actually the best practices to keep ourselves safe.
The threat posed by hackers and other bad actors on the internet is significant recent research revealed that cybercriminals have exposed the personal information of at least 47 per cent of American citizens.
India too has a dubious track record. India saw the second-highest number of cyberattacks in 2022. In fact, nearly 20 per cent of all data that got exposed to hacker and were stolen, was from India.
According to Zane Bond, head of product at cybersecurity startup Keeper Security, billions of people all over the world, make mistakes on a regular basis, putting themselves and their information in danger.
Not using a password vault
If your password is simple to remember, cyberattackers will crack it easily. Ideally, your password should be gibberish, made up of alphanumeric and special characters and should be at least 10-13 characters long. Also using a single strong password across numerous accounts is a “set-up for failure.”
You should also not write down all of your passwords on Word document, or an Excel sheet. The best method to guarantee you have strong, unique passwords is to use a password manager or a password vault that can generate and store passwords for you.
With a password manager, you only need to remember one master password and can be certain that your other passwords will be too tough for a cybercriminal to crack.
Not reporting and unsubscribing from junk/spam email
Cybercriminals rely on us making a mistake and clicking on the wrong link, therefore avoid getting bombarded with promotions and marketing materials. Unsubscribing from junk email, such as commercial communications sent after making an online purchase, will help keep you secure.
Unsubscribing every time you see the option will help prevent email overload. Less junk cluttering your inbox means fewer opportunities for mistakes, and more time and energy available to keep an eye out for phishing attacks.
Don’t click any link unless you really have to. Instead, you should use a browser to navigate to and access the webpage. You may also hover over the link to make sure it takes you to where it says it will.
Also, don’t forget to hit the spam or block button when you receive an email that you don’t recognise. Not only does this create a filter for the person who sent you that email, it also informs the email service provider that there’s something fishy about the sender.
Not setting up a “Guest Network” at your home
Most of us fail to take simple security precautions to secure our home Wi-Fi, such as establishing a distinct ‘guest’ network.
A guest network prevents guests from unintentionally introducing malware into your home — and from accessing your gadgets.
It will appear as ‘your network name — guest,’ has its own password, and is activated from the router’s menu.
“Simple steps you take to safeguard your home Wi-Fi network can help prevent thieves from accessing your phones, tablets, desktops, and IoT devices,” adds Bond.
“You may safeguard your Wi-Fi network by using a strong and unique password, creating a separate guest Wi-Fi network, enabling encryption on your router, using a VPN, and keeping your router’s firmware up to date,” he added
Ignoring two-factor authentication
According to a Microsoft research, using two-factor authentication may make your accounts 99.9 per cent more secure.
Most online accounts support two-factor authentication (in addition to a password, you are secured by requesting a code from an app or received through SMS).
“Add multi-factor authentication (MFA) where you can, starting with your most essential accounts: email, social media, banking, crypto, and so on,” explains Bond. “You can even integrate MFA into the autofill feature of a password manager, so the password manager does the second step for you,” he explained
Not planning your digital afterlife
Bond cautions that one of the biggest cybersecurity errors we all make is neglecting to plan for death. Your loved ones will require access to your information after you die, yet far too few of us care to arrange for it.
“Two things are certain in life: death and taxes,” says Bond. One we must deal with, the other we try not to think about. ‘Our lives are progressively shifting to the digital sphere, and we must consider how our loved ones will get the information they require when we are gone.
“The process entails creating a digital inventory of your online presence, assets, and liabilities; naming a digital heir to receive your credentials and assets; and devising a plan, such as storing credentials and personal documentation in a secure password manager that can be passed on to your digital heir,” Bond explained.
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