Computer Security Day – what does a safe computer mean?

Over 30 years ago Computer Security Day was established. Nowadays, it can be said that cybersecurity is both better and… worse. Software, operating systems are usually well protected, and it’s also a blessing for us that they are regularly updated. Microsoft has introduced a stricter upgrade distribution model in Windows 10, it’s more appropriate from the security point of view. Google in Android provides monthly security patches. iOS, on the other hand, is a completely different league: there, updates are available immediately on authorized equipment from Apple.

However, today, in addition to computers, we must also be careful with mobile phones, tablets and even IoT devices. Today we focus mainly on computers, whose security is still very important. And importantly, there is much we can do to change our daily habits.

That’s why days like Computer Security Day were established

Every year on November 30th we celebrate Computer Security Day – it is a perfect moment to remind about the most important rules of working with a computer in the context of security. Many cyber security experts believe that man is the weakest link and most often he is to blame for breaking security. Just look at the reports of IT companies that condemn the worst passwords used by users: combinations such as “password”, “passwords”, “passwords”, “12345” are still used – we do not have to explain that they are definitely a bad idea.

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Many of the omissions in the context of cyber security are due to ignorance: So November 30th is the Computer Security Day when we can share our knowledge with others. Perhaps this will save at least a few computer users from the infection they would cause if they were completely unaware of any rules for working with equipment such as PCs.

What shouldn’t you be doing on your computer?

Cybercriminals are very keen to use old methods to gain unauthorized access to someone else’s accounts: above all, it is not worth opening attachments from unreliable senders. If you don’t know the person who writes to you, never try to run any files from a suspicious source.

The same applies to the programs we found on suspicious websites. If the website you are using seems to be “strange”, it is better not to download any files from there.

As a second line of defense, it is worth investing in a security package. Windows 10 users can stay with Windows Defender, which has been recognized by AV-TEST as one of the best solutions dedicated to machine safety. This is a great honour for Microsoft’s software!

But most importantly, updates are essential

Updates may seem “intrusive” to us, always at the wrong time, but they are extremely important considering the safety of your computer. If you see a message that there are patches available for your machine, apply them. Many loud attacks in the IT world could have been avoided if only all users had used the latest versions of the software. Cybercriminals prey on the fact that not all users are willing to switch to higher iterations of operating systems or computer programs and exploit unsolved vulnerabilities.

It is also worth to write down the passwords that we use in the services we are registered with. Setting a very simple password, which does not consist of special characters, combinations of upper / lower case letters and symbols is a request for unauthorized access. Similarly, using the same password on several platforms at the same time is a huge risk that we do not think about on a daily basis.

In all services, it is worthwhile to enable two-factor authentication: even if a cybercriminal accesses our password, he or she will have to authenticate using a trusted device (e.g. SMS code sent to a mobile phone). The second line of defense against attacks is something that very often determines the failure of hackers’ efforts.

Computer Security Day – key takeaways

It is enough to change some habits and follow some very important rules. Then, we will successfully avoid most of the attacks, which are loud on the Internet. It is worth remembering about them, all the more that computers and smartphones are very often for us “gates” to such services as e-banking or official matters.