Keeping Yourself Safe in the Digital Space
Almost all people will instinctively go to lock their front doors when they go out for the day, but most will not have considered that they also need to take the same care when in the digital space.
With so many parts of our lives now online, including lots of sensitive personal information, it is really important to be aware of data security and know how best to protect yourself from possible threats, including unauthorised access, corruption, or theft.
Whether at home or at work, data security is a paramount, so we have gathered up some top tips from our expert IT Tutors at Ginger Nut Training to help you stay protected…
1
Always lock your desktop
When leaving your Windows computer unattended (even at home), always press the Windows key + L. This will set it back to the login screen. (If you have an Apple laptop it’s COMMAND+SHIFT+Q) Start making a habit of doing this and you’ll be helping to keep yourself safe with little effort on your part.
2
Change your home router’s default password
When you are at home, go onto a web browser and in the address bar, type 192.168.0.1 (this is the IP address for almost all home routers). It will ask for a username and password. Username will most likely be your email address. If you don’t know your password, look on the router itself. If the password matches the one on the router, then it’s still the default. Change it immediately!
3
Hide your mobile notifications
Make sure that you disable notifications and messages from displaying on your smart phone when it’s locked. This is a common way that hackers and scammers gain access to personal information. You can turn this feature off on iPhone and Android devices from the settings menu. What hackers do is utilise the fact that if you need to log into a service, such as a banking app, they know that you’ll be sent a security code to your phone. If you allow notifications on the lock screen, they can get that code without needing to worry about passcodes or face ID.
4
Keep your devices up to date
Always install and run the latest OS update or set your system to automatically install them. Software updates are by far the best way to keep your devices and data protected from malware. Most devices can be configured to update overnight, so long as they’re plugged into a power source.
5
Keep yourself informed
This is the most important one of all: make a point to stay up to date with what’s happening in the world with digital security. Two really useful places to get quick and relevant info that you can use are Tik Tok and news channels such as BBC News (they often report on recent scams or issues). This info will be presented in a way that’s understandable and concise (so you don’t need a degree in Computer Science to understand it!)