There are always potential cyber threats such as hackers, snoopers, viruses, and phishing attacks in the making. However, there are ways you can make sure your computer is safe. Privacy and security are top priorities when using a computer. Although new computers usually come with the latest software to secure data there are ways you can tell if your device is secured.
First, go to your settings and examine your passwords to see if they are strong and unique. If your passwords are weak reset your password or use suggestions from your computer. There are free online tools and websites that allow you to complete a strength test and create a stronger password. You can even use internet websites to see if your password has been leaked during a data breach. Having a strong password will defend against unauthorized access to your computer and personal information. Secondly, test your firewall. A firewall keeps hackers from seeing your computer online. Use trustworthy hardware to scan your firewall to make sure your computer is invisible. Without firewall protection, your computer is vulnerable because there may be thousands of ports open and available to unwanted viruses and cyber crooks. Next, delete all files that were moved to your trash, permanently. Just deleting files does not protect you. Someone could retrieve the files if they are lingering. There are many data recovery programs that can easily access the deleted data from the hard drive and that’s why it’s important to erase the data permanently. Steps to successful deletion can be found online or in your computer search log. Finally, check your privacy settings on social media. Make sure you understand the privacy details on those sites. This will ensure that your information is not available for outsiders to view. Information can be filtered not to let others know any more than you want to tell them. Privacy settings should be checked regularly to safeguard your personal information.