5 Effective Ways To Secure Your Computer From Cyber Attacks

Saba Nadeem
3 min readJul 28, 2021

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Cyber-attacks are spreading rapidly all over the world. A 2019 worldwide report showed that 88 per cent of cyber threats are associated with the technology and manufacturing sectors. It doesn’t matter if you have got an enterprise or personal computer network; hackers can harm you in either way. Ultimately, you might have to pay top dollar for that.

Only mindful use of online services and practising basic precautions can protect you from malicious online attacks. Here are the five effective ways to save you from cyber crimes.

1. Install a firewall

A firewall is the best way to protect your computers against cyber-attacks. This system will block hackers' attempts to access internal servers and computers. Moreover, it will also secure your data from viruses, trojans, and malware.

All window-based computing devices have a preinstalled window firewall. You can install it from internet security software to protect your servers with firewalls.

2. Install and update internet security software

A 2016 survey on the Ransome attack shows that 43% of businesses suffered from hacking. Patching your outdated software can secure operating systems, network servers, and computer applications. Installing new security software updates eliminates these vulnerabilities from cybercrimes. Here are a few guidelines for you:

  • Turn on automatic security updates for web browsers.
  • Activate automatic software updates for your computer systems.
  • Update web plugins like Java, Flash, etc.

3. Encrypted wireless networks

Online services are always under the threat of identity theft. Cybercriminals steal your sensitive data more easily when you’re using wireless networking. In 2020, the average data breach amounted to 3.86 million dollars globally.

Therefore, you must secure wireless devices via Virtual Private Network (VPN) to prevent hackers from intercepting the transmitted information through the air. You can go for the internet security software packages having a VPN for your electronic gadgets. Furthermore, you should prefer encrypted communication channels for meetings and conversations.

4. Install Web filters

Cyberthreat is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Hackers design this malicious software in such a way they look legit and safe but actually, they are not. To avoid such dicey situations you should not open unsafe websites or unknown web pages.

You can strengthen cybersecurity by installing web filters for web browsers. These web filters automatically block all the websites which are declared unsafe by internet security software.

However, disabling browser cookies and Javascript will also prevent your system from cyber-attacks.

5. Install Email filters

Cybercriminals target most of the victims through Emails. Phishing scams are accomplished via Emails, where the users are tricked to share personal data with identity robbers. A 2021 survey shows 24.9% of phishing attacks worldwide to the financial sector.

You must configure Email security filters to defend yourself against cyber threats. These Email filters will scan each Email to and from your network. Any spam message or potentially dangerous attachment will be discarded right away.

Bottom line

In essence, proper training and usage guidelines are vital for network security. You can limit access to data. Using firewalls, updating software security, and web filters will shield you against hackers. Lastly, always protect your wireless system with a VPN.

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