{"id":31661,"date":"2020-12-16T16:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T10:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/?p=31661"},"modified":"2021-01-07T11:10:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T05:40:24","slug":"data-security-tips-to-keep-your-financial-and-personal-information-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/security\/data-security-tips-to-keep-your-financial-and-personal-information-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Security: Tips to Keep Your Financial and Personal Information Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cybersecurity is now a huge concern for many people, and cybercriminals are no longer exclusively targeting big companies and enterprises, but also small businesses and even individuals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, factors related to human errors like weak\/non-unique passwords, vulnerability to social engineering (i.e. phishing) attacks, and others, remain some of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.usecure.io\/the-role-of-human-error-in-successful-cyber-security-breaches#:~:text=In%20a%20security%20context%2C%20human,security%20breach%20to%20take%20place.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most common causes of cybersecurity breaches<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. So, if you want to keep your financial and personal information safe, you can\u2019t solely rely on security software and infrastructures, but you also have to update your knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here, we have compiled some of the actionable tips you can use right away for keeping your personal and financial information safe from cybersecurity threats.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"seethis_lik\"><span>Also read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/top-10\/best-webinar-software-tools\/\">14 Best Webinar Software Tools in 2021 (Ultimate Guide for Free)<\/a><\/span>\n<h2>Most Common Causes of Stolen Information<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we can discuss how you can protect your sensitive information, it\u2019s best we learn about <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cybercriminals actually steal information so we can also learn about how to mitigate these threats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of the most common causes of stolen credentials and information:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Weak and Non-unique Passwords<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most common causes of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.securitymagazine.com\/articles\/91572-weak-passwords-caused-30-of-ransomware-infections-in-2019\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ransomware infections<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and data breaches is using weak passwords or using the same password for all your different accounts. By using weak passwords, you are vulnerable to brute force and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/datadome.co\/credential-stuffing-protection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">credential stuffing attacks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which can lead to various other cyber attack vectors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use strong passwords that are at least 10 characters in length and include a combination of uppercase, lowercase characters, numbers, symbols, and spaces (if allowed by the platform). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure to use a unique password <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for one account. Also, there are various password manager tools that can help create and store complex, long passwords with ease, so there\u2019s simply no reason not to use a strong, unique password at the moment.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Malware infection<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A very common cause of data breaches is when your system is infected by malware. Malware is a malicious program\/software that can exploit vulnerabilities in your system and potentially other connected systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be careful when accessing unsecured websites, and avoid clicking on email attachments from unknown senders. Also, invest in a good anti-virus\/anti-malware solution.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Application vulnerabilities<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hackers are always on the lookout for software and web application vulnerabilities to sneak into your network. Make sure all your software and applications are always up-to-date especially when there are any security patches.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Social engineering attacks<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social engineering attacks are any form of attacks that involve human interactions, tricking users into making security mistakes, or giving away your personal information. For example, the hacker might assume the identity of your HR manager or CEO using a seemingly legitimate email address and asks for your financial information.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Physical attacks<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Albeit rare, it\u2019s possible that a hacker might make their way into your building and directly access your system to launch an attack. Don\u2019t solely focus on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/artificial-intelligence\/top-11-iot-securities-you-must-have-for-your-smart-devices\/\">digital side of your security<\/a>, but also your physical side.\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Insider threats<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s quite possible that an authorized user in your company might deliberately abuse your network and system\u2019s security for personal gain or otherwise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preventing insider threats can be virtually impossible especially in bigger organizations, we can mitigate the potential damage, for example by compartmentalizing the information on your network. The basic idea is to limit the number of users that can access a specific file depending on needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Tips To Secure Your Financial and Sensitive Information<\/h2>\n<h3>Use Stronger and Unique Passwords<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have briefly discussed the importance of using strong and unique passwords, but let us discuss it again just to emphasize its importance: your whole system\u2019s security is only as strong as your password\u2019s strength, period.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet, even using the strongest password won\u2019t 100% guarantee your safety. After all, methods like brute force attacks will <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">always<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be successful in guessing your password given an unlimited amount of retries and infinite time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our job is to make it as hard as possible for a hacker to guess this password, and change the password regularly before these attackers can ever guess it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, use a password manager tool (a lot of them are free) to help you create and \u2018remember\u2019 really strong and unique passwords.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Multi-Factor Authentication<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still related to the practice of using a strong and unique password, using multi-factor authentication (MFA) or also called 2-factor authentication (2FA) is additional security when your credential is somehow compromised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the name suggests, multi-factor authentication asks for other information besides the password before the user can access the account. This information\/authentication can be:\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Something you know: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a PIN, a second password, answer to a secret question, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Something you are: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fingerprint, retina\/iris, face ID, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Something you have: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a USB dongle (key), etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many services, like Google\u2019s accounts, offer free multi-factor authentication features you can use right away, so make the most of them. Google also offers an app for both <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.authenticator2&amp;hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Android<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/google-authenticator\/id388497605\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">iOS<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that is completely free, and you can use it to secure your other accounts (yes, even non-Google ones).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are also other authentication apps you can use if you don\u2019t like Google\u2019s for one reason or another. The bottom line is to secure your most sensitive accounts with a multi-factor authentication solution ASAP.<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"seethis_lik\"><span>Also read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/artificial-intelligence\/top-7-industrial-robotics-companies-in-the-world\/\">Top 7 Industrial Robotics Companies in the world<\/a><\/span>\n<h3>Invest in a Good Bot Mitigation Solution<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many cybersecurity attack vectors are performed by automated software or bots, attack vectors that are aimed at stealing data\/information like brute force and credential stuffing attacks are also performed mainly by malicious bots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if you can detect and manage these bot activities, you can also prevent these attacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, today\u2019s malicious bots are getting more sophisticated at mimicking human behaviors, so it can be difficult to differentiate bot activities from legitimate human traffic. On the other hand, we wouldn\u2019t want to accidentally block activities coming from good bots like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/advanced\/crawling\/googlebot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Googlebot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where having a proper bot mitigation solution that can properly differentiate a bad bot from good bot\/legitimate human traffic is very important. Solutions like DataDome, for example, utilizes AI and machine learning to analyze the traffic\u2019s behavior so it <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/datadome.co\/botnet-detection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can accurately detect and prevent botnet attacks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with 100% autopilot functionalities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Antivirus, Anti-Malware, and Firewall<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your basic cybersecurity infrastructure should consist of an antivirus\/anti-malware solution and at least a basic firewall software. A firewall, in a nutshell, is a program that prevents unauthorized access to a network, and typically your computer (PC\/laptop) already comes with a built-in firewall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, depending on your needs, this basic firewall might not be enough, so you might want to invest in a third-party firewall solution to better protect your system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An antivirus\/anti-malware, as the name suggests, is security software designed to detect and remove computer viruses and other variety of threats such as malware, spyware, keyloggers, ransomware, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s very important to get a proper antivirus and firewall to protect your system, so you can keep your financial and personal information safe at all times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Educate Yourself to Defend Against Social Engineering Attacks<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As discussed above, social engineering attacks like phishing and other methods are some of the most common causes of data breaches, identity thefts, and other attack vectors related to information\/data loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, if it\u2019s an email about \u201clost inheritance for $1,000\u201d and other obvious scams, you might not fall victim to it. However, don\u2019t underestimate these scams, and always be extra careful when clicking any links or downloading any attachments from any emails (even if it seemingly comes from someone you know and\/or a legitimate company).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, never give out passwords or any other sensitive information online or over the phone. If someone calls and says they are from a certain company you know, hang up and call the number listed on the official source (i.e. on the back of your credit card).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Secure Your devices<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always secure your devices, especially those that can access the internet. When you go online with any device, make sure you have anti-virus and other security software installed. If you have other people (i.e. children) using the computer, use software that can block potentially dangerous websites and apps from their use if necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, back up your data regularly. While this won\u2019t protect your data from being stolen, at least in cases where a hacker gained access to your device, you will still have a chance of not losing all your data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be extra careful when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/gadgets\/what-is-the-best-wireless-router-for-strong-wi-fi-signals-in-a-large-house\/\">accessing public Wi-Fi<\/a>, use a secure VPN solution if you must. Also, obviously, protect your devices from being physically stolen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last but not least, when you sell\/throw away your older devices (including computers), make sure to erase all your data from your device before you part with them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to note that erasing your data is not simply about placing your files in the virtual recycle bin. It\u2019s best to perform a thorough wipe of the device\u2019s hard drive or perform a factory reset.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"seethis_lik\"><span>Also read:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/top-10\/the-top-10-digital-process-automation-dpa-tools\/\">The Top 10 Digital Process Automation (DPA) Tools<\/a><\/span>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More and more cybercriminals are now actively targeting your financial and personal information, and it\u2019s very important for you to know the best practices to protect your information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Above, we have discussed some of the most common techniques hackers use to steal your sensitive data, and also some of the most effective ways you can use to keep your financial and personal information safe at all times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cybersecurity is now a huge concern for many people, and cybercriminals are no longer exclusively targeting big companies and enterprises,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":31668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[49],"tags":[315,2456,209,3265],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31661"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31712,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31661\/revisions\/31712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/31668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.the-next-tech.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}