They don’t click unknown links

They don’t click unknown links
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“Never click on links in emails. Phishing emails are incredibly successful at impersonating sites you trust, and they appear much more legitimate than in the past. Visit the source website of the email before proceeding with the requested action.” — Purcell.

This is how to stop robocalls and spam calls for good.

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They avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi

They avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi
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“Hackers are able to exploit users of public Wi-Fi through intercepting the traffic as it passes over the network, or hackers will set up fake ‘honeypot’ Wi-Fi access points in order to trick users into connecting. The goal of the attacker is to be able to obtain authentication credentials for things such as social networks or bank accounts, among other nefarious motives.” — Alex Heid, Chief R&D Officer at SecurityScorecard.

They take precautions when using connected devices

They take precautions when using connected devices
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“Think of IoT (connected) devices just like any computer – they have an IP address. But when people deploy smart TVs, baby cameras and devices like that in their homes, they, unfortunately, don’t usually take the same safety precautions as they do when setting up a computer. My advice to consumers is the following:

Read the manual: This is crucial to know what it takes to secure the IoT device.

Make sure you have a firewall on your router. It will protect your devices in many cases.

Create new and secure passwords for each of your devices.

Always install updates. A ‘smart’ device can easily fall out of date, leaving the device vulnerable to hackers.” — Aleksandr Yampolskiy, CEO and co-founder of SecurityScorecard

By the way, here is everything you need to know to keep your phone safe.

They are aware of data breaches

They are aware of data breaches
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“A lot of folks will check sites like www.haveibeenpwned.com to see if any of their accounts have been compromised via a data breach. By simply entering their email address, people will be provided with a list of all breached accounts associated with that email account. It’s a great way to stay up to date and manage risk.” — Adam Dodge, founder of EndTAB.

Make sure you know these 22 red flags that someone is spying on your phone.

They are wary of random outreach

They are wary of random outreach
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“I would advise you to be especially vigilant during events that may arouse our emotions. These may be sports tournaments or shopping opportunities but also changes in law or taxes. Such events can be used by hackers to conduct phishing attacks. Criminals can manipulate our emotions or information and rely on ignorance of the issue and their negative emotions, such as stress, time pressure, or fear of financial losses. What should we watch out for? Contests and promotions that offer tickets for matches, impersonating a tax office or bank and sending infected ‘instructions,’ or urging you to pay for items that are essentially free.” — Ole Brockhuus, CEO of SpotTheSpy.

They don’t use public chargers

They don’t use public chargers
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“In our busy, on-the-go lives, sometimes there is no option for charging a phone other than a USB plug at a nearby public charging station, but unsuspecting users may find their data and device at risk. Hackers can modify these stations to download information without user consent or install malware onto a phone. In such cases, the best thing to do is to bring along a portable charger or connect a charging wire to a trusted personal computer that will refresh the device’s battery but not endanger the smartphone or its data. For example, Apple has recently added a feature that asks the user to either grant or deny trust to the computer when charging with a USB. If the user denies trust to the charging computer, the USB will only allow for the battery of the smartphone to be charged and not for any data to be transferred.” — Hagay Katz, VP of Cyber Security at Allot.

They update their security software regularly

They update their security software regularly
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“You should have antivirus software on your phone, laptop and other devices to keep them safe. However, these programs can only protect you from the threats they know about. Companies will add new protections to their software as emerging cyber threats are identified. If you don’t keep your software up-to-date, you won’t be protected from the latest threats.” — Colton Devos, a marketing and communications specialist at Resolute Technology Solutions.

They come up with creative answers to security questions

They come up with creative answers to security questions
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“Set up difficult security questions to avoid having someone find the answers online. Get a little more creative with the answers, and never share this data with anyone.”

— Rachel Wilson, Investigative Coordinator, Client Relations, at The Smith Investigation Agency and The Smith Training Centre.

Here are the 12 password mistakes that hackers hope you’ll make.

They keep things manual

They keep things manual
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“Turn off any sharing or auto-downloads activated on your mobile device to limit access to Cloud-based applications or stored information on your device.” — Heather Paunet, VP of product management at Untangle.

Next, check out these 16 clear signs you’re about to be hacked.

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Source: RD.com

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