How to Keep Your Personal Data Safe and Secure

So, this post is all about Keeping your passwords, financial data, and other personal data safe and protected

The most important thing about your computer most probably is your data which you never want to lose. Different applications or software once lost can be reinstalled but it is the data that is crucial and sometimes confidential enough like the bank account information.

Information regarding your credit cards and social security numbers too and other most important stuff to the user as if it is once lost can be a bit tiring to regain the lost information. Here we discuss some of the ways which can be tried to keep your data safe.

15 Steps to Keeping Your Data Safe

Back up

Backing up the data be it daily, weekly, or monthly depending upon your need is an important step in the protection of your data. Backup can be done in a number of ways.

You can either use Windows (ntbackup.exe), wizard modes, manually, or even by automatic backup means to secure your data.

Security

In order to keep your data private and confidential, you can set your desired files and folders to the option of permissions.

If you have shared users, you can set the privacy to share permission option which can be accessed through the properties option of the file or folder or network that needs to be shared as well.

If you share your computer with someone then one more option can be tried called file-level permissions and, in this way, you can control the access from either read-only or full control.

Passwords

Certain applications such as Acrobat Reader and Microsoft office provides the option of putting the passwords on your documents. And if you are a Google spreadsheet user, google too allows you to password protect google sheet.

There is various zipping software present too which help you to compress and encrypt the data.

In this way every time the document needs to be opened with the password to make any changes thereafter.

Though there are some online password recovery options present unfortunately which can crack the passwords.

Disc Encryption

Enabling the disc encryption mode on the device you are using can also help you to taut your intimate data.

It can be pretty easy on I-phone or I-pad, but the effort needs to be made on laptops and Android phones since your laptop or phone once in some other hands regrettably, data can easily be misused or obtained.

Two-factor Authentication

If someone by chance got to know your password, login will not be easy for them but for this, you need to enable Two-factor authentication.

One of its new and easier forms is the usage of the U2F security key.

The Cloud

The Cloud is an ideal option for backing up your precious data. Since on The Cloud, data is not stored on the local device it can be accessed easily even after hardware becomes non-functional.

Thus, Cloud Storage is a viable data recovery option for the users. 

Protection of Anti-malware

Malware means malicious software that is the software that is designed to damage the computer without the legal consent of the user.

It includes various viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, scareware, and others. The user’s important data can be hacked through websites, emails, or maybe hidden in downloadable files, photos, or videos.

Therefore, in order to get rid of such malicious software one needs to install a reliable anti-virus protection App and Desktop Softwares, scan frequently, do not click on suspicious links or websites, and use reliable sites for any downloading.

Do not let your previous computer hardware readable

Make sure you properly dispose of your previous or unusable hardware as they can easily be accessed.

Do not forget to make your old computer’s hardware unreadable.

Once you back up your data after transferring the files elsewhere you can clean the disk by using any software to ensure complete wiping.

Destroy old computer disks and backup tapes.

Operating system updates

Operating system updates though bother the users a lot and sometimes updates irritate them too but it actually is a blessing in disguise as these updates contain security alerts that will protect your personal computer at risk.

Whatever operating system you use to update it regularly, you can also set your operating system to be updated regularly but the method varies considerably between different operating systems. 

Set your Software to Automatic Update

If the option is available to enable the option as to automatic updates, consider it. Some of the software also connect and update automatically which can be relied upon too.

Secure your wireless network

Place a password on wireless networks that also helps in securing the user data so that illegal users cannot hijack the wireless networks and get access to your computer.

It is especially valuable for small business owners and family users. You can also hide the Wi-Fi network name such that it does not appear to be viewable to others.

This is known as a Service Set Identifier (SSID).

Shut Down the Computer After use

It much-neglected trait as one forgets to shut down the computer after use. It opens ways for cybercrimes as they get full-time access to your network and can perform any malicious act which can cost you later.

Firewall

According to the geek squad; quoting:

“Firewalls assist in blocking dangerous programs, viruses, or spyware before they infiltrate your system. Various software companies offer firewall protection, but hardware-based firewalls, like those frequently built into network routers, provide a better level of security,” 

Do not let your devices Remember Passwords

As many applications now offer the option to remember passwords, this may seem easier to log in later on and thus saving time but at times this can lead you to danger as it will provide easy access to the wrong user without trying much.

Disable file and Media Sharing

Quoting from the Kaspersky;

“Make sure that you share some of your folders only on the home network. If you don’t really need your files to be visible to other machines, disable file and media sharing completely,”

 I hope that some of the above-mentioned mentioned methods help you to secure and keep your Data Safe. A number of online recovery software and free data recovery software are available that can help you cope with the problem.

Confidential and private data can be secured too by a number of available options discussed above.

Before all, data can be time to time backed up in accordance with your need to overcome the unavoidable circumstances.

1 thought on “How to Keep Your Personal Data Safe and Secure”

  1. Hi Saurabh,

    What a thorough review of everything… it must be everything 🙂 … that you can do to keep your data safe.

    I like your advice to not let applications save your password. That’s such a dangerous thing to do.

    I use LastPass to “save” my passwords, and even that makes me nervous, but you’ve gotta take a chance somewhere along the line, right?

    -Donna

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