Internet Security Myths (Part 1)

August 18, 2016 8:00 am

Many myths have developed over time about Internet security that has been used to justify why we shouldn’t take greater precaution when it comes to security protection. Today, we will be highlighting some of those myths in our two-part series of ‘Internet Security Myths.’

In case you thought this could be irrelevant to you because you’re not “important enough” to be targeted, the first myth we’ll be highlighting is…

  1. “Only people of high profile have to worry about being targeted.”

This is the reasoning we all tend to come up with whenever security hacking gets brought up. Truth is that hackers and malware don’t attack important people; they attack systems that are not well secured.

  1.  “I don’t store important or sensitive information so attacks wouldn’t affect me.”

Many times, we end up storing information in our devices that we don’t think are important or relevant enough for hackers to use. In reality, though, hackers can take any little piece of data to help them discover who you are, what your online behavior is and so much more in order to take your identity.

  1. “Viruses only target Windows, so it won’t affect my Mac”

It’s true that there are a ton of viruses created for windows or PCs but malware doesn’t exclusively attack Windows. Throughout the years, more malware has been created to affect Macs as well. Your system isn’t built as a malware repellant.

  1. “All my passwords are strong and complicated, so I’m safe.”

This is great! You should make all your passwords this secure. However, if your actual password isn’t properly stored away, then anyone can get access to it. In order for your passwords to be fully effective, it’s best to use a password manager in order to keep track of them.

  1. “I have VPN so all my files are encrypted anyway.”

Are you completely sure this is the case? Just because your virtual private networks (VPN) providers offer encryption, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it comes all together. Make sure to talk to your VPN provider to get the encryption service with your network.

If you have any questions or are looking for guidance on taking better security precaution contact M&H for consultation.

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