14 Cyber Security Tips to Prevent Cyber Attacks

Cyber Security or you can also say IT Security is the implementation of necessary security steps that we use to prevent cyber attacks.

In this guide, I will discuss what is cybersecurity, common cyber attacks, how to prevent yourself from cyber attacks, cyber security jobs and how much cyber security experts can earn.

What is Cyber Security

Cybersecurity is the protection of the computer system, phone, and any other devices from virus or any other cyber attacks.

With the increase of Internet users worldwide, cyber attacks are also increased a lot. A cyber attack intent is to damage software, hardware, data, to ask for money, etc by using malware.

There are many ways to protect your sensitive file data from cyber-attacks, yet some businesses are still hesitant to make the investment. One of the reasons for this hesitation may be the perceived cost of implementing strong cybersecurity measures, but the reality is that the financial consequences of a data breach can be far more costly in the long run.

Type of Cyber Attacks

These are the most common cyber attacks:

Spoofing

Spoofing is a popular method for attackers to gain access to any one account or any other target. In this method, Attacker/cybercriminal tries to pretend something else so that he can win our trust in an attempt to get access to the computer system, data, company website controls, or to spread malware.

These type of attacks can be in any forms like Email spoofing, IP address spoofing, caller ID spoofing over the phone calls, text spoofing, etc.

In the caller ID spoofing, attackers pretend to be someone else such as banker, customer care employee, etc to gain your trust and after that, he wants to know personal information to get money.

Therefore, never share any details over the phone with anyone.

Backdoor

Backdoor is a malware or an algorithm used by the attacker to bypass normal authentication and gain unauthorized access to a website.

If the attacker successfully did this method, then he can access the company data such as the user’s profile, and all the other website data.

To prevent the backdoor attacks, Always use security services like cloudflare.

Phishing

It is the most common method used by cybercriminals and according to a survey It is found that this attack has a very high chance to inject malware or to gain anyone personal information, passwords, etc.

In this method, the Attacker sends you an email, message, or an attachment that contain a link.

If you open this link and fill any type of details like email address, OTP, password, date of birth, or anything else then the cybercriminal will get all these details.

The attacker can send you an email or a website link that looks like the official website but actually it is a fake website whose purpose is to gather your personal information or Login credentials.

So, to protect yourself from such attacks never open unknown emails, attachments or any unknown links.

Denial of Service Attack (DOS)

The main aim of this attack is to make a service unavailable to customers. These type of attacks generally targets small or large scale business.

The cybercriminals can refute the service to the users by intentionally entering a wrong password too many times so that the user will get locked to use the service.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS)

The DDoS attack mainly targets company websites, blogs, or any other services available on the Internet. In this method, the attacker targets a website and then start the attack by sending a lot of traffic to a website from a single IP address or from a large number of host machines.

The traffic is generated by bots and it is not a real user. So, the website owner will not get any benefit from such traffic.

The main aim of this attack is to down a website by sending unnecessary bot traffic to increase the usage of server and bandwidth.

Man in the Middle Attack

Man in the middle attack (MITM) is another popular method used by attackers to gain access to personal information, passwords, and other related information.

In this method, Cybercriminals use to insert itself in the communication between two systems/servers over a network secretly and getting all the information between the client and the server.

The three most common man in the middle attack that attackers are using is WiFi eavesdropping, DNS spoofing, and stealing browser cookies.

These three types of man in the middle attacks can be very dangerous for your personal data, privacy, and security.

WiFi eavesdropping is a man in the middle attack technique in which the attacker set up a WiFi connection and made it publicly available and anyone can connect with this WiFi.

When anyone connects with this WiFi and browse any information such as Facebook, youtube videos, etc. then the attacker will know all your browsing activity and he can access all the login credentials like Facebook, payment card information (if you have done any payment over that WiFi).

DNS Spoofing is used to fool the user to use a fake website that looks like the original one but actually this website can get all your login credential if you enter any sensitive information.

If you store your passwords in the web browser then it will save in the browser cookies. Stealing browser cookies is another type of man in the middle attack in which the attacker can steal your passwords, data, and other sensitive information.

Malware Attack

A malware attack can be in many forms such as adware, spyware, malicious links, Trojans, keylogger, computer virus, worms, ransomware, etc.

Adware is a type of malware that is injected/inserted to the phone or computer to show advertisements. It may also monitor ad behaviour.

Spyware is a program that is designed to monitor your phone or computer activities. After installing spyware, it is difficult to find it because it can hide in your device.

Ransomware is a virus program that intention is to lock a computer and ask money to unlock the system.

SQL Injection

In the SQL Injection attack, the target is the website database.

The attacker can execute a SQL query to the database and it is a common attack on the websites that are developed in PHP or ASP.

Cyber Security Tips to Prevent Cyber Crime

I have listed 14 cyber security steps that you can use to prevent yourself from cyber crime. It is always a good idea to learn and train yourself to prevent such attacks.

I have provided some basic ways to prevent cyber attacks.

Stay Updated to Latest Version

Always update your phone, apps, computer software, Operating system, etc on time because the new update fixes all the flaws and offers new features with better security.

I also suggest Turn on automatic windows update, In case if it is turned off.

Don’t add unknown Friends

Nowadays, social media has become one of the targeted platforms for attackers.

Using social media, Attackers can join with you and build trust to get money, access to any personal information, or for any other purpose.

Avoid opening Unknown Links

Most of the online frauds done by sending a link. In fact, Many youtube channels got hacked by opening a link.

Cybercriminals can use phishing links or Stealing browser cookies method to hack your data.

So, It is a better idea to avoid opening an unknown link.

Don’t download unknown Softwares

Downloading an unknown software by the unknown publisher is not good for computer security.

If the software contains any malware, virus, then it can damage all the data in your computer.

Therefore, avoid using such software that is from unknown publishers because it is not good for security and privacy.

Use Secure Websites

If you are going to purchase anything online or to make any payment then always check that the website is using the SSL certificate or not.

If the website is not using the SSL certificate then avoid making payments on such websites.

Never install unknown APK

There are lots of APK available on the Internet.

Yes, some APK are safe but I always suggest to download apps from Google Play Store.

Resist yourself to use public Wi-Fi

Attackers can use the technique man in the middle attack to get all your Information on the public Wi-Fi.

Many times an attacker set up an open Wi-Fi so that anyone can connect it to use the Internet. So, I suggest not to use any public Wi-Fi if you don’t know about the owner.

Use a trusted antivirus, Anti-spyware, and Anti-keyloggers

You can use a complete system security package but for that, you have to buy a premium plan of the software like avast, AVG, etc.

Use antivirus, anti-spyware, and anti-keyloggers to harden your security.

You can also use the free version of anti-virus software like avast that offers basic protection from viruses.

Use security services (for companies)

If you have a company website then it is important to make your website secure so that you can prevent attacks like DDoS, brute-force attacks, SQL injection, etc.

Small businesses, companies, blogging websites, and other websites can use Cloudflare security service to protect from cyber-attacks.

Leading enterprises and brands rely on dependable security software like PSONO. The software is designed to act as a password manager for large teams. It has everything from 2-Factor Authentication to Multi-Level Encryption to keep unwanted elements out.

Set strong password

Do not set a password that is easy to guess such as 12345678, password, qwertyu, etc. Always set a strong password for your social media accounts, Facebook page, computer login, or for any important profile.

Whenever you set a password keep the length 10-16 words, upper case, lower case, and special characters (such as ^,<,$,!)

Never share any Information

If someone is asking for your personal information over phone calls or text messages then never provide such details even if he is the bank officer or anyone.

Credit cards information is very important so never share anything with anyone.

Personal information can be used for many purposes that even you don’t know.

Use Firewall

A firewall is the first line of protection for the cyber security of your system. Always keep it ON and use an anti-virus program.

It blocks the connection to unknown applications and bogus sites.

Backup Important Data

If you used to store all the important documents, pdf, files, images, etc in your computer then make sure that you have a copy of this data in another drive.

So that in the situation when your disk got damaged or infected from virus your backup will help you.

Change password

Update your password after every 3 or 6 months because many times we don’t know that we are hacked and someone is using our system or social media account anonymously.

These types of attackers can be very dangerous for the privacy of your account because they can read and know all the information without making any change to your social media accounts.

Use Faraday Bags

Faraday bags are essential for protecting electronic devices from unauthorized access and cyber attacks by blocking electromagnetic fields. Based on the principles of Faraday cages, these bags stop signals from reaching your devices, including such signals as EMFs, RFID, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. By using Faraday bags, you can enhance your overall security by safeguarding sensitive data, protecting against signal jamming, and preventing unwanted tracking. This simple yet effective tool is a crucial addition to your cybersecurity strategy, particularly when travelling or in high-risk areas.

Common Targets of Attackers

Cybercriminals have different motives to hack into a system. It may be due to personal disputes, to ask for money, damage system, etc.

Anyone can be a target of the attackers. It may be a company, small business, government organization, blogging websites, phone, computer, etc.

Cyber Security Jobs

There are lots of jobs available in this field worldwide. Cyber security jobs are available in both private as well as in government sectors.

Cyber Security Salary

Cyber Security Engineer/Expert average salary varies from $70k to $100k per annum in the USA.

For the experienced cyber security engineers it may vary from $90k to $150 or even more depending on the candidate and company.

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