Cyber Hygiene Tips To Stay Safe Online

Good hygiene is something that everyone is taught in childhood and it generally sticks with you for life. Good hygiene practices help you prevent the illness as well as infection from viruses or bacteria. Similarly, cyber hygiene helps you resist online security issues and cyber threats. Cyber hygiene lays the groundwork for good cyber security

Effective Cyber Hygiene Habits

Many people take cyber security for granted due to which the cyber threats increasing day by day. Establishing cyber hygiene practices as routine can help in reducing the cyber-attacks. Here are some cyber hygiene tips that can be helpful:

  • Installing Reputable Antivirus

The first and significant step is to install antivirus software. Antivirus software scans the computer and eradicates viruses as well as other malicious software.

  • Updating Software Regularly

To ensure that you are working with the latest programs that have patched or eliminated the glitches, update the apps, operating systems, and web browsers regularly. You can also set up the feature “update automatically”. This would ensure that you have the all latest protections.

 

  • Setting Strong Passwords

 

Having strong as well as unique passwords for all the devices is imperative. You must set a complex password that contains at least 10 characters along with lowercase and capital letters, symbols, and numbers. Ensure you change the passwords at regular intervals and avoid using the old passwords. 

 

  • Keeping Hard-Drive Clean

In case you are selling your smartphone, laptop, or tablet, ensure you clean the device so that sensitive or personal information does not get passed. Deleting the data or files might not be enough. Reformatting and then wiping the hard drive is one of the good cyber hygiene practices. 

Along with these, securing the router is quite important. Updating the default name as well as the password of the router and turning off remote management can help you protect the wireless network.