We all know that cyber security is fundamental. Having a good password is crucial to keep confidential information protected. We know that having an anti-virus, anti-malware, and spyware application does wonders especially when you’re connected to a network or the web. Having all those applications is a good thing but we also know that having a correct firewall setting is quite important as well.
However, what most of us don’t know and what we are forced to believe is that having these precautionary measures are just enough.
Well, they are not.
It is time that you know the truth and expose some of the myths about cyber security that we have believed for years.
Let’s start of with anti-virus software and your system firewall. Despite what manufacturers say, despite what the advertisements say, despite what some of your friends tell you, no anti-virus software or firewalls for that matter are 100% effective. You need to understand that for one virus creators make malicious codes that are so advanced that an anti-virus application might not yet be capable of handling an attack from it.
Despite the regular updates released by anti-virus software companies, they cannot foresee what kinds of viruses will come out next month or the month after that. They can only provide their customers with protection based on the virus that they know of and the potential virus that could come out. As mentioned or implied earlier, the best way to have a degree of protection is to combine the technologies together. Have separate virus software installed and keep a strong firewall active. Although, there might be a problem with some applications not working well together but conduct your own research and see which software works well together.
It is also important to know that not because you have installed an application that’s the end of it. You see you will need to get the patches or updates that manufacturers release. These patches or updates are fixes on some little or sometimes big inconsistencies or bugs in the application. This is very important for anti-virus applications especially.
Look into your installed application and see if there is an automatic updating option, which there usually is, that allows you to automatically receive updates whenever manufacturers release a new version or an upgrade of the system.
Also, don’t believe that just because you have mainly personal and insignificant information on your computer that it’s not worth protecting at all. Please bear in mind that what you think is not important can turn out to be quite useful for hackers. Every bit of information you have in your computer, email, or any other system can be manipulated and used by hackers to access more of your confidential information or use it to gain some profit. Even if you keep your files in a computer not connected to any network, the one that a hacker gains access to can be used to attack other computers or cause problems with other systems.
Not being rich is not a good enough reason for being attacked as well. Hackers and identity thieves will grab any opportunity that they come across. If they can get your personal information easily, they will do so and think about how they can use it for their personal gain, and believe me, they will think of a way.
After we exposed some of these myths and now you know the truth about cyber security, I hope you get a renewed conviction regarding cyber security.
