5 Excellent Strategies to Protect your Laptop from Hackers

As modern society grows ever more reliant on technology for servicing all its needs, the dangers of hacking become increasingly hard to ignore. From identity theft to natural security breaches, there are numerous ways in which hacking can have a negative impact on our day-to-day lives. In fact, people can even obtain valuable personal data through social engineering alone, let alone actual coding. Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to protect your laptop or computer against intruders. To that end, here are five of the best security strategies you can employ right now:

1. Install dedicated software
Hackers often use viruses or malware to worm their way into your computer. While both Microsoft and Apple laptops nowadays come equipped with integrated firewall software, you may want to go the extra mile and opt for a dedicated service that regularly updates itself. For best results, go with a cutting edge antivirus program that can also be used to scan any external hard-drives or USB sticks that come into contact with your laptop.

2. Employ passwords that are hard to guess
Passwords are some of the most easily compromised security features, and can often be uncovered solely through the use of social engineering techniques. Therefore, your best bet to improve the security of all your Internet accounts is to use multiple passwords that are difficult to guess. You should also consider giving out counterintuitive answers to routine security questions, answers that no one will ever be able to guess through sheer logic or reasoning alone.

3. Do not trust public networks
It’s no secret that most people will occasionally resort to using the Internet offered by coffee shops or an airport waiting rooms. But such networks are even riskier than usual, since other people who are also connected can use various programs to eavesdrop on your e-mails or steal your data. Avoid this by using a virtual private network or VPN, which encrypts your data and prevents it from being intercepted. While rarely free, you can find many companies that offer this kind of service for just a few dollars per month, a small price to pay for Internet security.

4. Prevent webcam meddling
Camera hacking can be an extremely debilitating procedure, since it can give intruders control of your video feed without you even knowing of it. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to prevent this. First off, make sure you update your camera’s firmware frequently, then proceed to enable encryption within the camera’s administrative tools. Finally, if you want to be extra cautious, you can even purchase a camera cover that simply blocks your webcam when you’re not using it.

5. Practice smart surfing
Things like avoiding dodgy sites or not clicking on dubious links can save you from a lot of headaches down the road. Pay extra attention to phishing websites, which may seem legit at first site but are actually fake pages specially designed to steal your data. You can usually tell them apart on account of their incorrect URL addresses, but don’t hesitate to install the anti-phishing add-on provided by your browser for extra security.

This concludes our quick rundown of the five best security strategies that anyone can employ to deter hackers. Always keep in mind that preventing an issue is much easier than fixing it, so don’t delay taking all necessary precautions even if you don’t have any safety concerns at the moment. Chances are you’ll be thanking yourself later on.


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