Hackers hit health insurance company Anthem Inc (NYSE:ANTM) last week, stealing names, social security numbers and addresses from tens of millions of customers. And it’s hardly the only high-profile cybersecurity breach in recent memory.
A hacker group known as Lizard Squad tormented Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Sony Corp (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) for much of last year, repeatedly taking down their Xbox Live and PSN gaming networks. The chaos culminated with a holiday attack that left new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners unable to connect for hours, and in some cases days, after receiving the consoles for Christmas.
Then there was the infamous of hack of Sony Pictures, a massive breach of the company’s computer network that was quickly blamed on North Korea.
Early in the year, 233 million eBay Inc (NASDAQ:EBAY) users had their passwords, phone numbers and physical addresses stolen when the website was hacked. Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) was hit to the tune of data from 56 million customer credit cards being stolen, in a cyber attack that was similar to the one that compromised the credit cards of 40 million Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) customers less than a year before.
Even Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) OS X and iOS — considered by many to be the most secure computer operating systems for PCs and mobile devices — were under constant attack. The company had to release multiple security updates to OS X in response to critical security flaws that left Macs exposed, while it ended the year with iPhone and iPad users under threat of a Masque Attack that steals a device owner’s User IDs and banking information.
That’s on top of the parade of celebrities whose private photos were posted online after hackers figured out their iCloud passwords.
All of this may sound a little overwhelming, but there’s no need to pull all the plugs and go back to the pre-plastic, pre-Internet days. Some cyber attacks can’t be prevented by consumers, but there are simple measures each of us can take to prevent being a victim of many attacks, and to minimize the damage for the rest.
Here’s what you need to know to secure your cyberspace.
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Passwords
The first line of defense for all of your cyberspace interactions is the password.
You enter a password to unlock your PC, log into your online banking account, connect to your Wi-Fi network, buy something on Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) or play a game on Xbox Live.
And passwords are the weakest link in the whole security process.
Hackers have many tricks for separating people from their passwords, including phishing (outright asking for the password under the guise of being a legitimate website or service), guessing based on other personal information, stealing them from a poorly secured network and brute force cracking (using a computer to try combinations of characters until it finally hits the correct one).
If you do nothing else to secure your cyberspace, pay attention to your passwords.
- Use strong passwords that combine a minimum of 8 random characters (a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) — the more random characters, the stronger the password
- Do not include personal information in your password and avoid using common words
- Use a different password for every website and service you use — that way, if one is compromised, the hackers don’t gain access to your other accounts
- Change your passwords on occasion (you may have been hacked without even realizing it)
- Keep your passwords in a safe place — not in a document on your PC desktop titled “passwords”
- Where offered, use 2-step verification, a service offered by Apple, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) and others that requires both a password and a trusted device to sign in
You might not be able to prevent hackers from stealing your password from a website. But by following these tips, you can minimize the damage while greatly reducing your risk of being personally hacked.
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Your Home Wi-Fi Network
It’s pretty tough to find a home today that doesn’t have its own Wi-Fi network. However, it’s all too easy to find one where that Wi-Fi network is vulnerable.
Once someone gains access to your Wi-Fi network, they can do anything from downloading immense files (think pirated copies of video games, movies or worse, all of which will count against your download caps and be logged as being accessed by a device at your home address) to using eavesdropping software to intercept traffic on your network — and that could mean grabbing your login credentials for websites.
Start with ensuring that your wireless router is set up with a strong password. There are too many people who leave that router with its default login user name and password, which is just making things dead easy for anyone who wants to gain access.
Disable the remote login option (that would allow someone outside of your home who has the password to reconfigure the router). Really, how many of us connect from offsite to tweak our router settings?
Next, check to see if it has any firmware updates. When companies release updates, they are often in response to a security issue.
Enable WPA2 encryption on the Wi-Fi network. (WEP is also available, but it is far easier to crack than WPA2.)
Set up a firewall — this uses your router to set rules about what Internet traffic comes in to your network, and which applications running on your network are allowed to connect to the Internet.
Create a strong password for your Wi-Fi network itself.
If friends ask to use your Wi-Fi when visiting, your router may offer a Guest feature, which you should enable. This provides an alternate Wi-Fi network for these visitors, with a different password from your main network and allows you to block access to PCs and devices that are connected by Wi-Fi.
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Your PC
One of the primary methods used by most people to access the Internet is a PC.
These computers are also a hotbed of cybersecurity issues.
To protect yourself, your PC should use a strong password. You should encrypt the hard drive contents (a feature that’s on by default in Windows 8.1 and an option called File Vault in OS X) — that way, if someone does gain access to the contents of your drive, actually being able to read or view the data will be a much more difficult task.
If you use a laptop, physically secure it with a lock — and attach the other end of the lock to something immovable, like furniture. Grabbing unattended laptops in cafes (while the owner is at the counter ordering a coffee) is a big problem and once someone has your PC, they can start trying to gain access at their leisure.
Then there is a long list of things to do to ensure your time online with your PC is secure:
- Install security software to protect against viruses, malware and spyware, and update it regularly
- Set up the software firewall that’s part of your operating system, especially if you use a laptop that might operate outside of the protection of your Wi-Fi router’s firewall
- Turn off file sharing when operating remotely
- Only install software from trusted sites
- Download and install any security updates for your operating system
- Use the most recent version of a web browser and take advantage of its security settings
- Only visit websites you trust
- Don’t click on e-mail attachments from people you don’t know
- Google, or Amazon or your bank (or any other company) is never going to e-mail you and ask for your password, so don’t respond to these phishing attempts
- Use your security software to scan any USB thumb drives or external hard drives for malware
Finally, you should back up your PC regularly. With a complete backup, no data is lost if malware manages to break through your defenses. And if the PC should fall victim to ransomeware, it can be easily wiped down and reconfigured from scratch then fully restored instead of having to deal with the cyber-extortionists.
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Mobile
Tablets and smartphones are great for mobile web access. However, they are also vulnerable to cybersecurity issues.
Many of the common-sense security tips for using a PC also hold true when using a mobile device — stick to trusted websites, don’t give out your passwords, and absolutely make sure your smartphone or tablet is protected by a password or biometric security (like Apple’s TouchID).
It’s very easy to forget your smartphone in a cab — and if it’s unlocked, the finder has access to everything on that device, as well as your web history.
In addition to having your mobile device password protected, you should enable remote data wiping. That way, should your smartphone be stolen or lost, you can remotely delete everything on it.
Here are a few other tips for making your mobile device as secure as possible:
- Download apps only from trusted sources like Google Play
- Don’t jailbreak an iOS device — the freedom to install whatever you want also defeats much of Apple’s security
- When accessing free Wi-Fi from a public hotspot, use a VPN service to encrypt your web traffic to make interception much more difficult
- Update your apps (hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in older versions)
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Your Smart Home
The smart home is having a moment, but what people often forget is that “smart” means “connected.” As in, connected to the Internet.
And some of these smart devices give little thought to security.
Last January, a security firm discovered that over 100,000 connect smart devices including smart televisions and refrigerators had been commandeered by cybercriminals to be used as part of a botnet attack.
The two primary ways to protect your smart home are to use strong passwords (yes, that again) when setting up these devices and to make certain your home Wi-Fi network is secure.
There’s nothing easier to hack than a device with the default password left in place, but with a wireless router that’s properly set up (including the firewall), getting to your smart devices in the first place is going to be much more difficult.
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Your Car
When it comes to cybersecurity, even you car is at risk.
All the tech toys that we’ve come to expect — entertainment systems, navigation systems, app integration and all those onboard computers — mean today’s vehicles are smarter than ever. But they’re also more hackable than ever.
BMW just had to release a security patch to 2.2 million cars after discovering thieves could unlock them with a smartphone app.
Common sense strategies for keeping your car secure from cyberattacks include:
- Updating any apps used with the vehicle
- Only have service performed at a trusted garage or dealership
- Never let anyone you don’t trust near your vehicle’s ODB port (and stay away from it yourself unless you know what you’re doing)
- Be cautious about using unknown CDs or USB thumb drives with your in-car entertainment system
7 Ways to Secure Your Cyberspace: Video Game Consoles
Finally, we have something that is in millions of homes. Most video game consoles are connected to the Internet, have user accounts with personal information (including names, ages and sometimes credit card details) and live chat.
There’s also a good chance that the console has a camera and microphone connected and broadcasting over the Internet.
That’s right, the Xbox or PlayStation sitting beneath your TV is not just a video game console, it’s a connected device that can be a portal to your personal information.
- Use a strong password on your accounts (but you knew that by now)
- Only download or install games from a trusted source
- Third-party game patches, mods or levels can be a way for hackers to trick you into installing malware on your console
- Where possible, use gift cards for payment instead of associating a credit card with your account
- Power the game console off after use, so cameras and microphones are not live
- Warn gamers not to give out personal information over game chats, or respond to phishing for information like when the family is going on vacation
Securing your cyberspace is a much bigger concern than ever. With so many connected devices, the potential points of attack seem endless. And, as we’ve seen repeatedly, the outcome when tangling with hackers is seldom pleasant.
The good news is there’s a lot consumers can do to protect themselves — and their data — and something as simple as getting into the habit of using strong passwords and common sense can significantly reduce your chances of becoming a victim of cybercrime.
As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
