8.5 Protection from Cybercrime

Cyber crime, nowadays, has been a crucial issue to be tackled with. The only way to deal with this issue is the smart use of information and communication technology. The following preventive measures can protect you and your computer system from cyber crime. 

·                     Keep your computer and software updated: Software development companies often release updates for their software, and it's a good idea to install these updates when they become available for your computers. These updates often include fixes that can improve the security of your system. Newer versions often contain more security fixes to prevent malware attacks. 

·                     Use a non-administrator account whenever possible: Non-administrator accounts usually don't have the ability to install software. Using “limited” or “standard” user accounts for day to day computing activities can help prevent malware from getting installed on your computer and making system-wide changes. 

·                     Think twice before clicking links or downloading anything: Phishing scams trick people into opening emails or clicking on a link that may appear to come from a legitimate business or reputable source. The link may direct you to a fake website where you are prompted to enter your personal details or take you to a website that directly infects your computer with malware. If in doubt, don't click the link. Search for reviews or information about websites or programs before downloading or installing anything. Downloads are one of the main ways people get malware, so remember to think twice about what you're downloading and where you're downloading it from. 

·                     Be careful about opening email attachments or images: You should be wary if a random person sends you a suspicious email containing attachments or images. Sometimes, those emails might just be spam, but other times, those emails might secretly contain harmful malware. You can report those emails as spam to your service providers so that they can better weed out emails like this in the future. 

·                     Don't trust pop-up windows that ask you to download software: While surfing the web, you might come across sites that show pop-up windows, making you believe your computer has been infected and asking you to download some software in order to protect yourself. Don't fall for this trick. Just close the pop-up window and make sure you don't click inside the pop-up window. 

·                     Limit your file-sharing: Some sites and applications allow you to easily share files with other users. Many of these sites and applications offer little protection against malware. If you exchange or download files using these file-sharing methods, be on the lookout for malware. Malware can often be disguised as a popular movie, album, game, or program.

·                     Use antivirus/antimalware software: Anti-virus software will protect your device from malicious software that poses a threat to the system. It will scan your computer to detect and clean the malware and provide automatic updates to provide enhanced protection against newly created viruses. 

·                     Secure your network: Never broadcast an open Wi-Fi connection. It's also a great idea to not broadcast your SSID (the name of your Wi-Fi network). You can still access it with your device; you will just have to type the SSID and the password manually. You can provide a guest SSID that uses a different password for your guest. 

A firewall prevents malicious attacks by blocking all unauthorized access to or from a private computer network. A firewall provides an extra barrier against malware , reducing the chance of attack.

·                     Backup Your Files: It's important to back up on a regular basis to ensure that you can still retrieve all your valuable data and files if your computer is infected with malware.  This will help mitigate any damage and ensure that you are not held victim to ransomware attack.

·                     Use Multiple Strong Passwords: Too many people continue to use easily-guessed passwords, or the same password for all of their accounts. It is imperative that you use a strong, unique password for each of your accounts. Where offered, enable two factors authentication (2FA) to further secure access to your accounts.

Assignment 5 

List out the ways that can protect you from cyber crime.