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Data Security is important. We don’t think about our data until it’s gone. At that point, we’re often at a loss for what to do next. While a phone used to be just to make calls, these days we virtually have our complete lives on our smartphones – or, at least, it seems that way.
We access our banking through an app, send money from PayPal, update our Facebook statuses, and visit websites all from our handy phone. Each of these actions gets into areas where a security breach and data loss could create mayhem in our lives. The same goes for our use of a computer laptop to access websites, possibly do our finances, and keep important digital documents.
Data Security is About Behavior
Without good practices observed when using your digital devices, eventually, you’ll run into trouble even when running security apps.
While web browsers like Chrome now provide security warnings before arriving at a questionable site, and Google’s search engine also does the same, not every site displays a warning right away. This leaves you vulnerable to visiting a new site that has been hacked and now hosts malware ready to infect your smartphone or PC.
To avoid malware infections, you need to verify the authenticity of the website first. Who runs it? Do they operate other reputable websites? Do they have a real business behind the company – check on Facebook to see if they have a storefront or office building – or are they a virtual business? Do your homework before risking your equipment.
Update Apps to Avoid Known Software Vulnerabilities
Even the best security apps for Android and your PC must get regularly updated to remain effective against the latest threats. New viruses, malware, and intrusion attempts are released into the wild every day. Only by keeping devices updated can you avoid most of the problems associated with out-of-date software.
Run the Play Store app every morning to update any apps that have new versions overnight. It only takes a few minutes to download them and then you’re all set.
For your PC, there are plenty of free software updating tools that scan for outdated software versions and link to the latest one. Also, keep the Windows Update version updated to patch Windows regularly too.
Has a Data Breach Occurred? Figure Out How It Happened
When you know that someone has hacked into your smartphone or PC, it’s important to know how it occurred so you can stop the access and prevent its reoccurrence.
Using digital forensic services brings a crack team there in person to examine it first-hand. They can see if the device has been tampered with and look at how the intruders hacked into the mobile device or PC.
By making use of on-site digital forensic investigation methods, the problem gets resolved and new procedures can be devised to ensure it never happens again. Due to the nature of security and how fast technology moves, it’s impossible to do this yourself successfully. Specialists are required to get to the bottom of what happened using the latest forensics software to do so.
We all hope to never have a data security issue. Prevention is much better than a cure, however, so safeguarding your data is a safe way to limit the risks.
