With such increased internet activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many personal data and financial information are being shared online, making the internet a very attractive space for cybercriminals.
Moreover, every day you are exposed to varied web security threats like trojans, viruses, malicious links, etc. With so many data breaches being reported, it raises concerns of data security among users, and rightly so, as these data breaches can expose you to dangerous identity thefts by hackers.
According to Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report, 85% of breaches were due to human factor, 36% happened because of phishing attacks which were recorded 11% higher than the previous year, 10% of breaches were reported due to ransomware attacks which again showed an upward trend, doubling than the last year.
So now, it has become more vital to pay attention to your online security than ever before, both as a website owner or as an individual internet user. The need of the hour is to be aware of the ever-evolving security threats and be ready proactively to tackle them.
You need to follow these fundamental yet most effective cybersecurity tips to improve your online security health.
Give Your Website Ultimate Security with SSL Certificate
You must buy SSL Certificate to ensure the highest order of security for your website. SSL Certificate secured websites encrypt all the communication between the user’s web browser and the web server, thus protecting sensitive data against any data breach from cyber-attacks like man-in-the-middle attacks.
It additionally provides authentication of your website. After the SSL Certificate is installed on the server, the protocol of the website shifts from HTTP to secured HTTPS.
Furthermore, a visual symbol of trust, a padlock, is introduced before the website’s URL, instilling confidence among the users that all the information shared on the website is secured. Thus, securing your website withan SSL Certificate helps build your brand’s reputation and gain a better ranking in the Google search engine result pages.
Many reputed SSL providers in the market offer an array of choices for SSL certificates depending upon your security and financial capabilities. One good cost-effective and very popular investment would be the Wildcard SSL Certificate that protects your main root domain and all the subdomains one step below the root domain with just one certificate.
If stretching your budget is worrying you, you can consider buying premium yet cheap wildcard SSL certificates such as RapidSSL wildcard or Comodo Positive Wildcard SSL. So, you can choose the one that suits your needs and secure your websites.
Updating All Your Software Is A Must
Whether you are working on a smartphone, a computer, or a tablet, updating your operating system is very crucial to safeguard all your vital information, personal and financial, including your online activities stored in them.
Unfortunately, hackers are always looking for any vulnerabilities using automated bots on the internet, and older versions of software always become the easy path to infiltrate into any system network.
Any new updates fix all the past vulnerabilities found in the older versions, thus protecting you from emerging threats.
Similarly, keeping your security software, antivirus, antimalware software, plug-ins, applications updated should be an integral part of your strong web security policy.
After updating, one vital thing to remember is to check your privacy settings, which might have gone back to the original setting, and reset them to your chosen settings. Also, take care to uninstall any unused software as they become the weakest link for attracting a cyberattack.
Have Strong Firewall Deployment
Securing your internet connection with a strong firewall is the most vital and effective security hack to protect against malware attacks. Constant monitoring of incoming and outgoing data ensures early detection of any suspicious requests from a private network being blocked then and there before it becomes a more significant threat.
You must ensure that your firewall is configured well, making it clear what to block out and which permissions are given.
The configuration of any strong firewall should include UTM (Unified Threat Management) functionality,which means that protection against threats like viruses, malware, spyware, and network attacks can be provided from a single point information security system.
Including an Intrusion protection system (IPS) can take your network security to the next level. This system carries out an explicit audit of network traffic, preventing any malicious attacks from growing and creating havoc later.
Antivirus software must be used to filter traffic for malware. Use of Content Filtering should be made as a part of sound firewalling as it will help users from accessing malicious sites.
Careful About What You Post About Yourself and Others
You should always be aware of what you post on social media about yourself. Remember, the information you are posting is not just consumed by your friends and contacts, but every piece of information is being noticed by the bad guys of the internet too.
By putting together every bit of information, say your address, your family members, your likes and dislikes, your travel details, etc., could be used to derive very sensitive information about you.
Yes, that is true, say, e.g., your birthday or your favorite vacation destination could be used to guess your password across your accounts, and hackers may try to break into your confidential financial details and can incur heavy monetary losses. Set some strict limits for yourself regarding what and what not to share on social media.
One essential thing to keep in your mind while you are on a social platform is, you should never accept unknown friend requests. You could use your privacy settings to keep them away and safeguard your accounts.
Befriending strangers online could pose a severe threat to your safety and the safety of your personal information, which could be the target of hackers trying to misuse your profile.
Equally important is to be responsible for giving out statements that end up breaking any work contracts or any non-disclosure agreements that you have signed.
Be careful about speaking out about someone on a social platform or, say, disclose someone’s private information, lest it invites some legal action against you. Always be watchful of what you say against someone on this platform without any concrete proof, as you might have to face a defamation lawsuit against you.
Maintain A Complete and Regular Backup of Your Data
It is crucial to maintain a regular and complete backup of your data and, more importantly, keep it safe in a different location where hackers cannot harm it. Having an offline copy can be an excellent option for additional backup.
Regular testing of these backups is equally important to keep them useful and working so that you can be up and running in no time in case of any unfortunate loss or theft of data.
In conclusion, we can say that the easy protective measures discussed above to protect you from today’s complex cyber threats, if implemented sincerely, will help you achieve web security and data security of the highest degree. It will take your internet experience to greater heights and make it a safe haven for you.
