{"id":23544,"date":"2024-11-18T16:27:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T12:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=23544"},"modified":"2024-11-18T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T12:27:57","slug":"five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/23544\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-minute guide to cybersafety"},"content":{"rendered":"

From kids to retirees, no one is safe from cybercrooks. And if you\u2019re always putting cybersecurity on hold because it all seems so daunting, our five dead-simple tips are just the ticket. Each of them will greatly beef up your protection against the most common cyberthreats. We compiled this post as part of INTERPOL\u2019s #ThinkTwice<\/em> global information campaign to raise awareness of the main cybercrime vectors plus simple but effective ways to counter them.<\/p>\n

Automate your passwords<\/h2>\n

Make all your passwords for both websites and apps long enough (at least 12 characters) and unique (that is, never use them more than once). No one can think up and memorize so many passwords, so use a password manager<\/a>\u00a0to create, store and enter them. You\u2019ll only need to come up with and memorize<\/a> just one (long!) main password for it; everything else \u2014 from generating to entering passwords \u2014 will be done automatically.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind:<\/strong> you need to install the password manager on all your devices to enter passwords easily and safely everywhere. The data will be synched across all your devices. So, having saved a password on your smartphone, you\u2019ll be able to automatically enter it on your desktop, and vice versa. Note that the password manager will let you store in encrypted form not only passwords, but also PINs, full credit card details, addresses, notes, and even document scans.<\/p>\n

Pro level:<\/strong> for maximum security, disable biometric login to the password manager \u2014 this way you\u2019ll have to enter the main password every time you use the app, but no one will be able to access all your data without knowing the main password (don\u2019t write it on a sticky note, by the way).<\/p>\n

Enable double checking<\/h2>\n

Double checking, or two-factor authentication, protects you from password-stealing hackers<\/a> who break into your accounts using leaked credentials. Besides the password, they\u2019ll need to enter a one-time code sent to you via a text or an authenticator app.<\/p>\n

Although banks enable two-factor authentication<\/a> (2FA) automatically, in many other online services it remains optional. Wherever your data is even a tiny bit confidential (social networks, messengers, government services, email), we recommend enabling 2FA in the settings, if available.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind:<\/strong> There\u2019s usually a choice of how to get one-time codes: by email or text, or by generating them in a special authenticator app<\/a> on your smartphone. Of these methods, the safest is to use the latter; next come codes via text (they can be intercepted<\/a>), and the least secure option is codes via email.<\/p>\n

With an authenticator app, the only risk is if you lose your smartphone, in which case you\u2019ll also lose access to accounts protected by one-time codes. Here again, Kaspersky Password Manager<\/a>\u00a0comes to the rescue: not only does it securely store authentication tokens and generate one-time codes<\/a>, it also synchronizes them across all your devices. So, if your smartphone is lost or broken, you can easily generate a verification code on any of your other devices, as well as restore all your Kaspersky Password Manager<\/a>\u00a0data to a new phone.<\/p>\n

Pro level:<\/strong> get yourself a FIDO U2F hardware key<\/a> \u2014 this dongle looks like a tiny flash drive and offers the best protection against hackers.<\/p>\n

Double-check links and attachments<\/h2>\n

Never follow links or open files sent via messenger or email if you don\u2019t recognize the sender or aren\u2019t expecting any messages. If a friend, colleague or acquaintance writes you a message, but it looks even a little strange, call them, or reply via another communication channel to make sure it really is them and not a scammer.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind:<\/strong> use two layers of defense! The first layer is your vigilance; the second is a comprehensive security solution<\/a>. This will keep you away from phishing sites looking to extract passwords and money, as well as stop malware in its tracks. Incidentally, if a message or website asks you to turn off your antivirus \u2013 99% of the time it\u2019s an attempt to infect you.<\/p>\n

Pro level:<\/strong> sign in to email, banking and other accounts only from browser bookmarks or by entering the address manually, and never open links in messages, emails or notifications \u2014 it might be phishing.<\/p>\n

Enable automatic updates<\/h2>\n

This is to prevent cybercriminals from infecting you by exploiting bugs in your operating system, browser, office applications or other software. They can all update themselves \u2014 you just need to not postpone this action when prompted to restart the program or computer.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind:<\/strong> sometimes \u201cupdates\u201d are offered on websites. You go to the site, which says you need to update the browser, or video player, or Windows \u2014 and invites you to download an update on the spot. Stop! It\u2019s a trick to sneak a virus into your device or computer. Genuine update prompts appear right in an application\u2019s menu or as operating system notifications.
\nPro level:<\/strong> Kaspersky Premium<\/a>\u00a0can monitor all your installed programs and notify you whenever an update becomes available. One click or tap, and everything\u2019s up-to-date!<\/p>\n

Think twice before sharing online<\/h2>\n

Photos sent to a stranger or scanned documents posted on social media can come back to bite you. You or family members might become victims of extortion, or scammers might use such information to create a convincing cover story to extract money from you or your friends. Therefore, only send and post things that you wouldn\u2019t mind showing on a billboard outside your home. What gets posted online can be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind:<\/strong> social networks and messengers have privacy settings to adjust the visibility of your posts. Go there and change as many settings as possible from \u201cVisible to everyone\u201d to \u201cFriends only\u201d. To find out how to best configure privacy for operating systems, browsers, social networks and other programs, visit our Privacy Checker<\/a>\u00a0site.<\/p>\n

Pro level:<\/strong> use a tool to monitor online leaks of personal information. A free option is to create a Google Alert<\/a> for your name; a more powerful alternative is to go for a premium service. For example, Kaspersky Premium<\/a>\u00a0monitors leaks of personal data linked to all phone numbers and email addresses used by you and your loved ones as a standard feature.<\/p>\n

How to automate protection<\/h2>\n

These tips are much easier to follow with an app that automates each aspect of security. Kaspersky Premium<\/a>\u00a0includes a password and one-time 2FA code manager, anti-phishing and anti-malware protection, update management and leak monitoring \u2014 all this and much more<\/a> is available for both computers and smartphones. Join the club of savvy users who enjoy robust protection for next-to-no effort!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five dead simple tips to greatly improve your defenses against cybercriminals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2722,"featured_media":23545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2088,1047,187,76,43,131,121],"class_list":{"0":"post-23544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tips","8":"tag-tips","9":"tag-2fa","10":"tag-passwords","11":"tag-phishing","12":"tag-privacy","13":"tag-tips-2","14":"tag-updates"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-ae","url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/23544\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/28292\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/28429\/"},{"hreflang":"ru","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.ru\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/38529\/"},{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/52612\/"},{"hreflang":"ru-kz","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.kz\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/28505\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/34383\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/five-dead-simple-and-effective-cybersecurity-advice\/34009\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/tips-2\/","name":"tips"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2722"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23546,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23544\/revisions\/23546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}