3 Cybersecurity Mistakes Many People Make

Cybersecurity breaches are much more common than people imagine. There are thousands of cybersecurity attacks being made every day and a lot of them target people like you and me. Unfortunately, not everyone is as tech-savvy, and many people make dangerous mistakes that put them in harm’s way without them even realizing it. In this article, we’re going to show you some of the most common cybersecurity mistakes being committed by people and households around the country.

Having the Wi-Fi Password Written Down Somewhere

It’s surprising to see how little people care about their Wi-Fi password at times. The password is usually marked on the router, and the biggest mistake they make is leaving it there. The second mistake is taking a picture of it and saving it for future reference. If someone manages to get access to this picture by getting your phone’s data, then they will have access to your Wi-Fi network.

You need to protect your Wi-Fi password at all costs, and the best way to do this is to use a solid password saver and make solid passwords, but there are plenty of other things that up can do, such as using remote network managers like Plume to control your settings and connection from a distance. If you want to learn more on how to protect your network, check out this page on protecting passwords and controlling Wi-Fi access.

Never Follow Through With Suspicious Emails

You have to teach everyone in the house what a suspicious email looks like and teach them what actions they should and shouldn’t perform when getting one. Teach them to block out any email that seems to be coming from a company or service. If your children are registered with a gaming service, for instance, you need to teach them to verify that the email came from the service in question before they follow instructions.

Whatever you do, never follow a link sent from a sender that appears to be an authority. It could be a download link that will install malware or ransomware on your computer. Or it could be a link to a page that will collect your credentials. So be very careful there.

Not Using a VPN

Some people assume that VPNs are only for cybercriminals and paranoid conspiracy theorists, but in our opinion, everyone should be using them. You never know who might be snooping on your connection. You don’t have to use a VPN from home but do use them if you like to use public networks and exchange sensitive information over them.

You should never do things like logging into important accounts or doing online banking over a public Wi-Fi network. Not only do cybercriminals like to target them, but the network admin itself could be a crook, so always protect your connection behind a strong VPN.

These mistakes are all very common and should be avoided at all costs if you want to protect your identity, devices, and avoid attacks. Learn as much as you can about cybersecurity and try to teach your children about sound online practices as early as possible.