For many parents, cybersecurity is not a familiar concept. The buzzword may be very popular in recent years, but actually doing sufficient cybersecurity doesn’t always come easy. With children becoming more familiar with the internet and over 80% of our lives being stored digitally, cybersecurity is no longer something you can ignore.
Worry not, though, because securing the online and digital lives of your family isn’t as difficult as you might think. To help you get started, here are the best tips and tricks that you can implement right away.
Keep Your Devices Up to Date
Keeping your devices up to date is the first step towards protecting your family from cyberattacks. Up-to-date operating systems and apps are less likely to contain known bugs and security holes than older versions. In fact, all major software companies issue security patches and updates frequently to close newly discovered security holes.
Up-to-date devices also come with better security features. The latest version of iPad OS, for instance, comes with child-friendly features that stop them from accessing adult apps and games. You can limit access to the internet or use a safe-browsing filter if needed.
Know What You Click
Safe browsing is actually an important part of keeping your family, and especially your children, safe online. Over 60% of cyberattacks are phishing attacks, the type that lures you into giving away important details such as usernames and passwords using seemingly legitimate pages or apps.
Even those with better knowledge of cybersecurity can fall victim to phishing attacks. You need to be aware about what you are clicking when browsing the internet or checking your emails. More importantly, you need to make sure that your children are doing the same thing.
Use Filters
Sticking to the topic of safe browsing, the use of an internet filter can be a lifesaver. Even when you don’t want to limit access to certain sites (like social media sites), you can still use an internet filter to stop family members from accessing harmful sites.
The phishing pages we mentioned earlier, for instance, cannot affect your family when they are added to the blacklist. Scripts, ads, and other security risks can also be blocked. At the same time, you can prevent your children from accessing harmful contents masked as children-friendly pages.
Know How to Recover
The most important ingredient of cybersecurity, however, is being able to recover from an attack quickly. When your personal details get stolen, for instance, you need to know what steps to take in order to prevent further damage.
If an attack ruins your MacBook, knowing how to find a free Mac OS Triage Download and use the existing tools to recover disk images and DD files will certainly help. The same is true with other free forensic and recovery software available online.
Being able to restore a backup of your devices makes recovering from a cyberattack even easier. Combined with the previous tips and tricks we covered in this article, knowing how to learn about a cyberattack, its impacts, and how you can recover from it will equip you for most cases.