Protecting Your Digital Devices

We’re All Vulnerable to Hacker Attacks

by Howler Staff

However alarming the cyber-crime statistics we sometimes hear about in the news, the mindboggling numbers of successful or attempted hacks can defy the limits of our imagination. We might pay closer attention when security breaches hit close to home, as occurred two billion times last year in Costa Rica (see the Q Costa Rica sidebar story opposite). But even if there’s an impact on our everyday lives — for instance, a bank or government office being immobilized by hackers — these institutional incidents can be hard to relate to on a more personal level.

But none of this justifies our tendency to be complacent when it comes to our own computers and mobile devices functioning faithfully day in and day out. Where do the risks lie, and what anti-hacking safeguards should we be diligent about?

We reached out to a couple of different sources of advice.

IT consultant Fernando Gomez offered these helpful solutions:

1. Starting with the basics, do not open any email attachment or link in the body of a message when the sender is unknown. One of the most commonly used hacking methods is to gain entry to your system by tricking you into opening a link or attachment.

2. Don't save passwords on your browser, and use different passwords for every website or app that you access. If your system is infected, all of your passwords can be accessible to a hacker. Use an encrypted application like "Keepass" to create and store secure passwords. Save your password database in a synchronized place like Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.

3. If possible, turn on two-factor authentication for all of your log-ins so you will receive a confirmation code on your phone to continue.

4. Use a VPN, which will create a secure tunnel where you can access your bank more safely.

5. Always charge your phone using a personal charger. Don't use any USB charger in a publicly accessible location. That's because a USB power source can have a device to get information from your phone or insert a backdoor.

These recommendations come from PC Solutions in Huacas.

1. We suggest to our customers to buy a well-known anti-virus app online. We like to use Kaspersky.

2. We also recommend being wise and not trusting "friendly" calls or emails, even when they look like they’re coming from official or otherwise authentic sources, such as banks, Hacienda or CCSS. Too often these are very well-fabricated scams.

3. Never disclose passwords or document expiration dates to anybody, nor should you click on any link received from those "friendly" messages.

Always charge your phone using a personal charger.