Stay Safe Online

Staying safe online is something we all strive to do and many of us have our own methods, even if that includes not doing something. Some of us keep a book on one side that contains passwords while others allow the web browser to remember them. The worst offenders amongst us actually have a document on their computer that contains such data - that, latter example is a hackers paradise. 

It does not help much when one considers that, it is a fact,  many people do not understand the fundamentals of making their online experience safe for whatever they do. I have come across many who give someone else the money who will then place the online order.

So, how do you begin? With Windows 10 - make sure it is up-to-date. Extra security software is good for doing shopping or online banking. Your bank may offer free internet security software so check out their website. There is also AVG, Avast and Kaspersky who all offer free versions of their internet security suites. My personal choice would be and is Sophos or Eset, there is a write up on my other website, Click here to read it.

Below you will find my basic guide to cyber security.

 

Cyber Security Basics (PDF)

Sophos Security - 45% off until December 8th 2020

Eset Security

Chromebook users

If you are using a Chromebook then, providing it is up-to-date you are well protected. I say well protected because no matter how much protection one has on whatever device, it is never guaranteed 100% safe.

Password Managers

It is a really good idea to use a password manager to store all your passwords. Are they safe? Well, generally the whole password vault is encrypted at your end, it is then sent to your cloud account for storage. If you only have 50 passwords then a notebook beside the computer will probably do but I still recommend a password manager. 

Lastpass is just one example of a password manager, use the link below to see how it works.

https://www.lastpass.com/how-lastpass-works

This YouTube video will go some way to explaining how a password manager works.

Sophos : Business Grade Security at Home

Business Grade Security at Home

One subscription of £40 covers 10 computers  

Grab a 20% discount here / A free trial here

Sophos Home, as it is called is not a name that springs to the mind of most home computer users. If you ask anyone what they use then you are likely to hear names like AVG, Avast or Norton and McAfee or Bit Defender and Panda. The reason for this is that Sophos has primarily been a business grade product that is designed around business users. The good thing about it being designed around a business product is that the software does not produce regular pop-ups trying to sell you yet another feature. Sophos Home is also run under the same centralised system the company uses for its business customers. Further to this one gets a central online place where actions and configurations for each computer under the account can be carried out, this is very useful for parents who can block the children’s computer from accidentally accessing inappropriate sites and many other features.

While Sophos will deal with all the important stuff straight away there are some things it simply flags up for instance a pup (potentially unwanted program), it could be the setup file that’s languishing in the downloads folder of a family members computer. In this instance the owner of the Sophos account gets an email to bring attention to it, from here one has only to log into the online control panel and instruct Sophos to ignore it or delete it. This is just one of the brilliant features in the control centre. Standard protection that constantly runs with these features:

Antivirus: Blocks known viruses, threats, trojans and worms.

Web Protection: Blocks websites known to have malware.

Ransomware Protection: Stops ransomware encrypting your files.

Privacy Protection: Alerts you to unwanted use of your webcam.

Malicious Traffic Detection: Detects and stops programs connecting to malicious remote servers.

One subscription of £40 covers 10 computers  

Grab a 20% discount here / A free trial here