There are a lot of potential risks when you buy your first PC or laptop. When you switch on your machine for the first time, without the proper knowledge and protection, you open yourself up to a world of harm. Educating yourself before the threats have the opportunity to take hold will have a positive impact on your PC experience. There are lots of ways that you can effectively protect yourself. This is a beginner’s guide to protecting your PC, and therefore yourself, from external and internal risk.
Secure Passwords
You hear it everywhere, don’t you? One of the most sensible and safest choices that you can make is to give your accounts secure passwords. A secure password is secure because it is hard to guess. Common passwords that are easy to crack include family names, birthdays, pet names, favorite bands, or actors. These types of simple passwords are a dream for hackers and should be avoided wherever possible. In order to protect yourself and your accounts properly, choose a random selection of characters. These characters should include letters, numbers, punctuation, or special characters. They should also be an eclectic mix of uppercase and lowercase.
Of course, these types of passwords are so much harder to remember. Hard to remember is still preferable to having your accounts hacked and information stolen. Plus, there are all sorts of encrypted apps you can use so that you don’t have to remember or physically write them down.
Secure Network
A secure network is one that cannot be accessed externally. It is protected from hackers or cybercriminals through a series of encryption techniques and special passwords. The first thing you need to do is secure your network. In order to do this properly you need to take a couple of precautionary measures. Firstly, change the name of everything. When you first set your router up, it will have a default name selected by the provider you chose to buy the service from. It will also have a password, again selected by the provider. Change these before you do anything else.
Another good way to protect your network is to consider encryption techniques such as installing VPN software. VPN, or a Virtual Private Network, is a way to make sure any connection from your PC incoming or outgoing is completely secure. Your identity is kept safe, and you are sheltered from data mining and hacker attempts. It’s a good thing to have if you do a lot of online shopping, for instance.
Consider Firewalls
A firewall is like a PC guardian. When installed correctly it acts as a conduit between incoming and outgoing communications on your network. It is capable of stopping unsolicited attempts to gain access to your PC by creating a type of virtual barricade between one trusted network and another untrusted network. Firewalls can stop hackers in their tracks, they can protect your PC from viruses, and they also inhibit spyware from taking hold.
The two different types of firewalls are called a hardware firewall and a software firewall. Which one you pick is dictated by what you need. Hardware firewalls typically act across devices whereas software firewalls are limited to one PC or another network device.
Install Updates Regularly
PC updates are often ignored until the last possible second. Did you know by ignoring them, you are leaving your PC exposed to unnecessary harm? Updates are there for a reason. They update your PC, so it is in tune with the latest software and therefore performing at its best function-wise. These updates fix important things in the background that you didn’t even know were a problem. Things like software bugs, lapses in security, new encryption protocols are all a part of software ameliorating. Technology is ever changing and therefore, you must keep up with it.
Learn about Exposure
A major step towards protecting your PC from risk is limiting exposure through growing your knowledge. If you are not the sole user of your PC, then grow other people’s knowledge as well. What you learn can shape how your PC functions in your journey together. It’s vital to learn about potential threats and how to stop them. Education is invaluable when it comes to combatting cybercrime and other types of harm that might happen upon your PC.
Encryption
Encryption is really straightforward process that can protect your files. For example, your firewall fails. Your complex password has been breached. There are hackers who have access to your PC, all its files, and, therefore, all of your private data. Luckily for you, your files have been encrypted. The hackers are stopped in their tracks. Encryption saves the day, and your data. It’s not just your files that can garner protection from encryption software. If you’re a business, it can protect your employee’s data, which is a legal requirement. Using encrypted websites protects your financial information from hackers. As you can see, there are many benefits.
Get the Right PC or Laptop
Of course, none of this matters if you don’t have the right PC. Finding the right PC doesn’t have to be a major challenge. As long as you go for a reliable and established brand that sells beginner PCs and laptops, like Lenovo.com, you can’t really go wrong. As a beginner, it stands to reason that you’ve not had much experience and you’re not entirely sure about what you need or want. Well, thankfully, there’s a whole dedicated section in the link above to help you navigate that. These PC laptops range in price and function and you can explore all the options available in one place.
Protecting your PC means protecting your personal information. Work files, banking details, personal information like home addresses, family photos. These are all things that people can hack into your PC for and steal. If you don’t safeguard yourself and your machine properly, you are just leaning into a world of pain. Follow these steps, and your security should never be an issue.
