How to Make Your Computer Less Prone to Potential Threats

You might run into malware, viruses, and other threats on your own while surfing the net or downloading a random file someone sends you, and not knowing how to counter these threats will result in problems.

Let’s take a look at ways to deal with cybersecurity problems so that you do not have to worry about exposing personal information, losing data, or dealing with poor computer performance.

Run the Latest OS Version

As a rule of thumb, you should run the latest operating system version, and this applies not just to computers but smartphones and tablets as well.

For example, as a MacBook user, you will likely encounter articles, forum posts, or general pieces of advice from people in real life telling you about optimizing your mac. Emphasis on having the latest macOS version is there, and it is not just about performance and features, but also security.

The same thing can be said about Windows users. If you have a legal version of the operating system, you should not hesitate to download and install an update once it becomes available.

Use Reliable Antivirus Software

Antivirus software should be one of the cornerstones of a solid cybersecurity strategy. Make sure that you install a reliable anti-malware tool that will run in the background and search for potential threats. Once detected, these threats should be eliminated by the antivirus.

Protect Online Browser

The odds of encountering a threat while surfing the net are not that small. Clicking on a random online ad is sometimes enough to get redirected to a landing page crawling with ransomware and other threats.

Even if you are aware of it, you might click on an ad accidentally and still face the consequences. Therefore, eliminating ads before they cause you trouble would be a good approach.

Install an ad blocker to your online browser or pick a browser that comes with a built-in ad blocker. 

Enable the Firewall

Quite a few people are reluctant to enable the firewall on their computers because the tool requires a lot of resources, and that can be a problem for low spec computers.

Nevertheless, if you are concerned about your computer’s security, enable the firewall to see whether it will slow down the overall device performance. If you do not notice the difference, keep the firewall on so it blocks unauthorized access and prevents malicious viruses from reaching the computer.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi

Using Wi-Fi in hotels, libraries, bars, and other public places usually means free internet. However, this convenience comes at the price of the security. 

Public Wi-Fi lacks the necessary security protocols. If you can, avoid using public Wi-Fi. And if you cannot, then make sure to connect via virtual private networks to reduce the odds of becoming the next target for hackers.

Do Not Overshare Information With Strangers

Keep in mind that if you spend your time online establishing new relationships with strangers on social media, Discord, and other communication platforms, it is better to avoid oversharing personal stuff.

The person on the other side might seem nice and genuine enough for you to like them, but you cannot be certain about their true intentions.

For instance, if you share your birthday, phone number, email address, they might try to take advantage of this information and gain access to your accounts.

Have a Strong Password Policy

Speaking of others potentially taking advantage of your profiles online, you also want to have a proper password policy.

It is common to be lazy and not bother coming up with different password combinations. Other than using the same passwords for multiple accounts, another bad practice is to use simple words with some numbers as your password.

Those who lack creativity should take advantage of the available password generators online and use them to generate various combinations. Doing so would make the passwords more complicated, which, in return, would improve your overall security.

Follow Cybersecurity News

Knowing what the next big thing in the cybersecurity industry is could be the difference-maker between protecting and failing to protect your computer.

Perhaps new antivirus software is ready, and you should get it as soon as you can? Or maybe there is malware targeting specific operating systems or computers, and there are only a couple of solutions to counter it?

When you have the information and can use it to protect your computer, you will feel safer knowing that your device is not as exposed.