8 Precautionary Measures to Avoid Cyber Attacks

Though our lives were digitised to a significant extent before COVID-19 times, it seems to have grown over us much more in the past year. More digital payments, online shopping, online meetings, conferences, training sessions, and webinars. Adding to this is online chit-chatting, small talks, and gossiping!

We have seen and heard of several instances where official zoom meetings were hacked. Anonymous people who were covering their faces intruded into confidential office calls and started doodling over the screen. Not just this, there have been numerous financial fraud cases coming to light every other day.

It is not affordable to reduce using technology or the internet from our daily lives anymore. The only thing we can do is follow the precautionary measures suggested by the Cyber Crime Police, so we are in a safe place.

1. Install good anti-virus software

Whether paid or free version, choose good antivirus software for your computer, tab, and laptop. This is the best protection for your device and data from viruses, malware, and other internet threats. As a best practice, scan any USB drive you insert for viruses before opening the drive.

2. Maintain unique, unpredictable passwords for each account

Most of us use a simple password across all accounts to remember it easily. But, it eases a hacker’s effort to guess the password and take advantage of our accounts. 
Use passwords that are hard for anyone to guess. Also, use different passwords for different purposes, such as banking, email, and social media. You could make use of special characters and acronyms to keep your passwords unpredictable.

3. Update the payment apps regularly

The app developers and software professionals keep fixing the bugs in an app or software now and then release updates. Therefore, do not delay or ignore updating apps, especially payment apps, to stay safe.

4. Avoid opening links sent from unknown sources

You might have received spam emails and SMS stating you have won a lottery or gift specifying a huge amount in the subject line. Do not fall for these tricks. Do not open such emails, click anything, or download any file sent from unknown sources. This could practically alter the security of your system, making way for fraudsters to steal from you.

5. Download software and apps from authentic sources only

Do not download software from any undetermined sources. Go to the authentic website of the software for downloading. For example, download any app only from Google Play Store or Apple Store as these are the trusted sources. Any Microsoft products are to be downloaded from the official website of Microsoft only.

6. Stay cautious while using third-party computers

If you are using a third-party computer for browsing, use the incognito mode of the browser. This will not store your browsing history nor your login credentials of any site you have used. Also, you use an on-screen/virtual keyboard when using a third-party computer as the device may have keyloggers that store the keys you have pressed on the physical keyboard.

7. Make sure to use HTTPS instead of HTTP while browsing

HTTPS is a protocol that uses encryption technology to keep your browsing experience safe. This protocol is a lot safer than HTTP. Ensure to use HTTPS for important sites.

8. Choose the correct site

Check the URL before you open the site. Many fake sites on the internet look genuine but are not, especially on internet banking sites. If you fall for a fake URL, they collect your login credentials and make you a victim of a phishing attack.