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My Top 10 Cyber Security Tips to Help Protect Your World

By Hector E. Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay
In this article, I emphasize how modern life depends on the internet's digital services and how vulnerable we are because of it. I also discuss how easily cybercriminals can compromise that digital world through malware, hacking, and institutional data breaches, and then sell that data on the Dark Web. I provide evidence that these attacks are dramatically increasing and that individuals must take proactive steps to protect their personal and financial information before it's too late!. Best of all, I provide my 10 best tips for protecting you and your digital world.
Why These Cybersecurity Tips Matter
Cyber‑attacks have increased significantly since 2011, with major breaches (e.g., Equifax) exposing hundreds of millions of Americans' data.  In fact, the increase in data breaches has exposed billions of users' financial, personal, and health data worldwide, not to mention the many billions of dollars stolen since 2011. There are literally thousands of data breaches every year, and it's just getting worse with AI.
Here is a current list of some of the largest breaches since 2013, Courtesy of the Data Breach blog and author Kyle Chin. I suggest you read this article as it provides more details and a larger list of breaches (34 in total), which still barely scratches the surface of this worldwide crisis. Also, for even more recent data breaches, check out: Recent Cyber Attacks & Emerging Cybersecurity Trends on Fortinet.
  1. Yahoo! Breach (2013-2016) – Impact: Over 3 billion user accounts exposed
  2. National Public Data (NPD) (March 2024) - Impact: Approximately 2.9 billion data records, impacting 1.3 billion individuals
  3. Microsoft (January 2021) - Impact: 30,000 US companies (60,000 companies worldwide)
  4. Real Estate Wealth Network (December 2023) - Impact: 1.5 billion records leaked
  5. People Data Labs / OxyData.io (2019) - Impact: 1.2 billion records exposed
  6. First American Financial Corp. (May 2019) - Impact: 885 million file records leaked
  7. Facebook (includes multiple breaches from 2013 to 2021) - Impact: 530 million users exposed; Facebook / Cambridge Analytica - Impact: 50-90 million users exposed
  8. LinkedIn (April 2021) - Impact: Over 700 million user records
  9. Syniverse (Date: 2021) - Impact: 500 million records lost
  10. Change Healthcare (2024) - Impact: 145 million records lost.
Courtesy of Pixabay
So why should you care about uncontrolled cyber breaches happening around the world? First - cyber breaches affect everyone. Every penny stolen raises the cost of living for everyone. Second - many attacks go unreported, and large institutions often hide breaches, which shows how much bigger this problem really is. Third - because attacks are now a daily event, people risk becoming desensitized and careless. Fourth - what’s being stolen is not just corporations' financial and monetary assets. It’s your personal and private information, which makes it much easier for a cybercriminal to hack your personal devices. Fifth- cybercriminals not only breach corporations but also Government agencies, city municipalities, community electrical and water infrastructure’s, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies, disabling them or making them ineffective. Sixth – the data stolen is sold over and over again on the dark web. This allows criminals to create user profiles, which increases your risk year in and year out. Now that I laid out the crux of the crisis, let’s look at 10 ways you can begin to defend your digital world from as much cybercrime as possible.

1. Protect Every Device and Every Layer

  • - Install reputable antivirus and anti‑malware tools on every device. If you can, avoid free, low‑quality options.  Do your due diligence; check out anti-malware ratings from PC World & PC Magazine to see which is rated the highest currently.
  • - Use multiple layers of protection (cloud, firewall, device-level).  I even run multiple antivirus/malware apps simultaneously on my main computer system for extra protection since no one app protects against all types of attacks.
  • - Keep all security apps updated and run weekly scans.

2. Secure Your Mobile Life

  • - Use built‑in security apps if you can’t afford purchased apps (e.g., Lookout, Trend Micro mobile).  I suggest you purchase one highly rated brand app and use it along with the free apps.
  • - Limit what you store on your phone; encrypt sensitive data. Back up your phone's data regularly.
  • - Turn off data sharing in any app you use or purchase. Select data privacy whenever possible.
  • - Turn off Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth when not in use; consider prepaid phones when traveling.

3. Be Smart on Social Media

  • - Share less personal information - hackers build profiles to trick you. Don’t follow people you haven’t vetted. If you’re on any social media site, remove any followers that you don't recognize or meet your standards as an unsuspicious legitimate follower.
  • - Use two‑factor authentication and follow platform security recommendations. Better yet, use a digital authenticator app you can get from the Apple or Google app stores to back up your credential access.

4. Back Up Like Your Life Depends on It

  • - Use offline and cloud backups with revision history. Google and Apple offer cloud services, some of which are freemium products, which means you will have to buy some level of storage and features eventually.
  • - Create restore points to recover from ransomware on as many digital devices as possible. This includes emergency restore for your operating system!
  • - Don’t leave computers running 24/7- disconnect when possible. Follow the adage: when not in use, turn off the juice!

5. Practice Safe Browsing

  • - Keep browsers updated and use security plugins (e.g., Web of Trust). Check your status often. I use an auto check s/w updater from IObit s/w online.
  • - Only use HTTPS sites; If your website isn’t HTTPS certified, get it upgraded for your customers’ confidence and safety.
  • - Avoid risky sites (pirated content, adult sites, shady downloads, Great FREE Stuff, too good to be true, etc.).

6. Email & Download Hygiene

  • - Use throwaway emails for unknown sites.
  • - Never open attachments from unknown senders.
  • - Remove your email address from unused subscriptions
  • - Block any unwanted subscription that you did not subscribe to, or that just appears in your inbox.
  • - Use sandboxing tools (e.g., Sandboxie) when exploring questionable content. This tool allows you to create a secure login that protects the rest of your system from a breach by most kinds of threats.

7. Password & Update Discipline

  • - Use strong passwords (12+ upper and lowercase characters + numbers with symbols). I use 12!
  • - Change them yearly (or is suspect a breach), and use a password manager.
  • - Keep all devices, apps, websites, and WordPress plugins updated.
8. Financial Safety
  • - For any kind of financial transaction online, use digital authenticators and smart‑chip cards always!
  • - Avoid debit cards for purchases unless it’s a reloadable prepaid debit. Don’t load large amounts of money on these cards.
  • Prefer PayPal or digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) for payments when possible.
  • - Consider single‑use credit cards for online transactions.
  • - Enable two‑step authentication, follow and use all bank safety features, and turn on transaction alerts on all bank accounts.

9. Physical & Identity Protection

  • - Shred sensitive documents.
  • - Use ID protection services and monitor your credit (there are many out there, including Life Lock). Also, many financial institutions offer this service.
  • - Understand your bank’s fraud policies. Some banks have excellent fraud policies that minimize any loss you may incur from a financial institution's breach; others not so much. Many hold you totally responsible if you don’t report the problem within a short amount of time!
  • Protect your physical credit cards with card shield cover sleeves. You can find these at Amazon or eBay.

10. Stay Informed

  • - Follow cybersecurity news, FBI scam alerts, US Government fraud reporting sites, and security blogs.
  • - Read linked articles on these sites to understand attack types and prevention strategies.
Related and suggested reading
In this article, I have provided a list of the best tips and methodologies that anyone can use to reduce their risk of becoming a cybercrime victim. Cybercrime and data breaches are at their worst level ever. In fact, it seems like it will be getting a lot worse sooner rather than later because of the adoption of AI by cybercriminals.   Be smart and take these threats very seriously. Most security breaches are preventable and are often caused by user negligence rather than elite hacking. By following these tips, you will achieve a very high level of digital cybersecurity, and your digital world will be much safer.
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