How to protect yourself against hackers

The common security threats against the average internet user go from fraud to extortion. Fortunately, it is very easy to guard against most of these attacks. Here are a few tips and tricks to improve personal internet security:

Cover your camera

It is very easy for hackers to hijack the camera on a phone or a laptop. Although most models have indicator lights for usage, this is not a reliable measure of security. The cheapest and safest way of preventing any issues is to tape over the camera on your laptops and phone when not in use.

Protect your data

Avoid loss of data when a computer is stolen by encrypting the data on the drives. Use BitLocker on Windows and FileVault on Mac OS to encrypt your drives. This protects any confidential data extraction without the password. An extension of this is application You’ll Never Take Me Alive! Which hibernates the computer when removed from AC power. This is to prevent a thief from snatching an open laptop and running.

Passwords

Never use the same password twice. Due to breaches of a lot of the popular online services, hackers have access to both an email address and a password. If that same password is used on any other service, that account can also be compromised. Stick to longer passwords and do not even repeat parts of the same password.