The Top 3 Things to do to Protect Against Cyber-criminals

However dark and dangerous the world of cyber-threats may seem, there are definitely steps you can take to reduce your chances of being a victim. Make sure to follow these 3 most important steps for cybersecurity:

1) A trustworthy antivirus software

The basis and starting point of any protection against cyber-attacks is having a reliable and quality antivirus software and keeping it running at all times. This type of software protects your computer from attempts to access your operating system, to damage or delete your data, or acquire your usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data. The function of an antivirus software is to prevent computer viruses to enter the user's system. If they discover the presence of a threat, they warn the user, or quarantine them automatically.

2) Keeping your antivirus software AND your operating system updated

In order to keep up with the bad guys, antivirus developers constantly publish updates to their software as an answer to possible changes or novelties in the malware world. You should always make sure that your antivirus software is up-to-date, but there is also an option in which updates on your software are done automatically.

Operating systems also need updating in order to keep up with the development of technology, as well as to detect and remove security threats on time. Make sure that your computer has the latest protection.

3) Vigilance and awareness

Chances are that you had cases where you won a multi-million dollar lottery without ever paying a dime. You probably received a letter, at least once, from a rich Nigerian prince who asked for your help with his inheritance or a friend from abroad asked for financial help. These are some of the most simple scams, old as the Internet itself.

Cybersecurity experts consider the best protection from this kind of scams – is to learn how to recognize them. The pattern of online scams is always pretty much the same: cyber-criminals make their first contact with a potential victim through email or social networks. So, be cautious when opening email attachments or clicking on unreliable links.

However, not all scams and attacks are easy to spot. There are also new threats, more sophisticated, harder to spot, and with a large number of victims. You should try to keep up with the news in cybersecurity, as experts can unmask and warn about the latest trends in cyber-criminal activity.