- No one can protect themselves from a cyber attack on the net. But with simple means you can make it really difficult for hackers, as Markus Weber, Managing Director of "Dokuworks", explains.
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ap Geisweid. Who does not know it: The mailbox is full of spam mails, unknown people send Facebook links that you should click on. Or a tracking message arrives via SMS, even though you haven’t ordered anything at all. Anyone on the Internet quickly becomes the target of hackers and scammers. To protect yourself from cyber attacks, however, you don’t have to be a proven IT expert. Markus Weber, managing director of the Geisweide company "Dokuworks", has simple tips for safe surfing.
Think first, then click
As a general rule: "Think first before you click on something"." Weber illustrates this with his own front door: a recent study showed that 76 percent of all mail is spam. These are simply sent to the inbox – and are often clicked on. But if three-quarters of those who ring the doorbell were potential burglars, people would be much more careful, the expert believes. "You would first look through the window before opening the front door."
The day of action Computer Security Day has been held every year since 1988 on 30. November instead of. It was created to remind people to secure their computers and personal data.
It is therefore advisable not to react at all to e-mails that appear strange or have an odd sender. The most important thing, says the expert, are secure passwords: at least eight characters, upper and lower case, numbers, special characters. And: "Just don’t use a password that’s in the dictionary," warns the "Dokuworks" boss – like, for example, the name of your children or your street name. In addition, it’s best to use a different password everywhere you go.
Secure credentials don’t really protect
However, he says, two-factor authentication offers the greatest possible security – if possible. "The second factor" – for example, one’s own cell phone number – "the hacker or automatism does not have", Weber knows.
But even with secure access data, you can’t really protect yourself from an attack. "It’s a misconception to think you can escape from spam," the security expert emphasizes. With every registration on a homepage it could happen that personal data are tapped. "For this reason, you should also separate professional and private e-mails and passwords, so that in the event of an emergency, not all accounts are affected at the same time."But what can you do if, despite all your precautions, you have made an unpleasant acquaintance with a hacker or virus??
,,You can trust the usual providers"
"Replace all passwords and call in a specialist to check the affected computer, ‘clean’ it if necessary, and recommend further action."
As a preventive measure, updates should be carried out regularly. "Don’t just shut down the computer when it wants to install security updates!", warns Weber. In addition, you should always back up your data in another location – be it on an external hard drive or in a cloud. "The common providers can be trusted," assures the domestic security expert.