1.
Create strong passwords
eyes open
Whether it's
your smartphone, computer, tablet, or home IoT devices, always make sure you
have the latest software updates installed. Aside from bug fixes and aesthetic
changes, updates almost always include patches for newly discovered security
flaws that could leave your device vulnerable if left unchecked.
Many apps request
location access in order to provide better services. While this may be
essential for food delivery services and the like, you can do without a precise
location on most other apps. Use Android's built-in tools to ration permissions
to your apps. For instance, denying location access to your social media app
lets it still function just fine, and that game you just downloaded, doesn't
really need to use your camera, does it? Covering your PC's camera may not stop
a hacker from breaking into your system, but it will ensure no one can obtain
private footage to use against you. If the idea makes you feel strange, take
note that even tech icon Mark Zuckerberg keeps his laptop camera permanently
taped up.
One of the most common ways a hacker can gain access to your information,
and sometimes the easiest, is through your account passwords. Use a healthy mix
of letters, numbers, and special characters, and never ever use the same
password for multiple accounts. If you worry your memory will fail, use a
password manager service to generate complex sequences for you, which you can
manage with one master password.
With the recent CIA document leak,
conspiracy theorists have long been confirmed in what they've been saying -
that no device is really safe from hackers, not even your televisions. So if
you find yourself in the grips of paranoia, calm down. Here are a few easy
precautions you can take to minimize the risk of malicious hackers spying on
you.
Source: DNA-15th March, 2017
