PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY 5 ways to protect your tech from hackers

5 ways to protect your tech from hackers

As it turned out, the biggest problem the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack created for most of us was uncertainty about gasoline supplies and prices. It’s also clear for now that big corporations are the main targets for ransomware because, as the notorious robber Willie Sutton once supposedly said of banks, “that’s where the money is.”

Having only personal money

accounts doesn’t let you off the hook. As hacking and ransomware tools become easier for small-time crooks to obtain and use, you could be a target for someone looking for a few hundred or thousand dollars.

That said, we have five basic steps that anyone can take to toughen their technology defenses against hackers. Most of them are free; some involve minimal investments – certainly less money than you might stand to lose.

1. Be Extremely Careful

Hackers thrive on your carelessness. In the case of the Colonial Pipeline attack, reports indicate they gained access through one account on the company’s IT system. We tell our clients all the time – and we’ll repeat it here – to be extremely careful about clicking on links in emails and links that pop up on your computer or device while you browse the internet. Hackers are very good at emulating

PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY

Gene Rubel the Digital Device Doctor, cures digital anxiety for seniors and home/ home-office users. A graduate of Harvard Business School, “Doctor Gene” spent more than 30 years in international business. He can be reached at generubel@gmail.com. corporate logos and throwing in an extra letter or number in an email address or website address (URL), hoping you’ll overlook their misstatement. They’re also good at spoofing your contacts’ email addresses.

We offer this advice: ■ If something doesn’t look right in the slightest way, don’t click on it. ■ If you’re given a website or phone number, don’t use it. Go out of your internet browser or email and open a new window for the official corporate website and get a phone number or other contact info.

2. Keep Your Tech Up to Date

Make sure you download and install updates and upgrades for your operating systems and application software for your computers and devices. Updates and upgrades improve performance and contain security patches and bug fixes to make your technology harder for hackers to breach. Those updates and upgrades are generally free – as long as the provider has enough of a userbase to support the investment needed to provide them.

If your operating system (OS) and app software providers no longer support your systems, we recommend you spend the money to upgrade to a newer version of the OS or app or buy a new computer or device that will run the latest software. If you balk at an investment that should be less than $1,000, think about what you might pay in ransomware – and think about what you spend for your various insurance policies.

As a corollary to that, make sure the hardware and software for your in-home Wi-Fi networks are up to date and running. This includes firewalls (protective software) as well as updates for your network’s routers.

3. Use Virus and Malware Protection

You can find free anti-virus and anti-malware software online, or your computer may already have something available through its operating system. Install it and use it. Many of the companies that offer free anti-virus and anti-malware software also offer it on a subscription basis for less than $100 a year, and their key benefit is that they work automatically in the background to block the malware hackers try

to plant on your system. They also install updates and upgrades automatically.

4. Use Offsite File Storage

Make sure you have at least one offsite file storage arrangement. Yes, more than one is preferrable because you never know how you or a storage server might be hit – either by a hacker or an outage. While it’s unlikely that a reputable, secure storage provider will be hit by a hacker, you can line up more than one for $100 to $150/year for each. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google offer free and subscription-based file storage and they have backup plans, too. Other independent providers have separate storage and backup programs.

There is a difference between file storage and file backup. Storage programs are designed for the retrieval of individual files, whether they be Word documents, spreadsheets or photo or video files. Backup systems are not designed for individual file retrieval. They’re intended to restore files when you replace a hard drive or computer.

Hackers generally get into an individual computer, and a good storage or backup provider should have extra layers of security to protect your files if you’re hacked.

5. Beef up Password Protection

Use strong passwords and consider using a password manager.

Weak passwords are the superhighway to your data. Don’t use things like admin or admin1 or a string of numbers. They are the easiest to crack. Also, don’t use a password that involves any kind of public information that anyone can look up on readily accessible public information websites. Strong passwords include upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. They’re even better when they have no rhyme or reason – but, of course, that makes them difficult to remember.

A password manager can give you the best of both worlds. You can allow them to generate random characters for passwords and update (change) them regularly or periodically. All you need to do is remember your master password – but it’s critical that you do because you may not be able to recover it. However, you can generate a list of all your passwords at any time, and you’ll need it if you decide to discontinue using a specific password manager.

Password manager providers offer various levels of service. You can use a free one for a single device with a limited number of accounts, or you can pay for one that allows you to access more than 50 or 100 accounts on multiple computers or devices.

A Final Note

Whatever you decide to do to toughen your technology, you’ll improve your protection against being hacked or being asked to ransom your files. We suggest you do something in each of the five basic steps we outlined. No matter how few or how many actions you take in each, you’ll keep yourself from becoming a sitting duck if someone decides to target you.