As our lives become increasingly online, protecting ourselves from hackers becomes increasingly important. Hackers are focused on two things: creating chaos and taking money. They get personal information from you and use it to create unauthorized charges against your accounts, or they could disrupt your business by using malware to cause attacks that cause denial of service or other issues.

The good news is that there are a variety of things you can do to stop cyberattacks, and the majority of them don’t require a significant amount of effort. Start by encrypting sensitive data that’s not sent over the Internet (such as social security numbers for employees and routing digits of banks, and other sensitive data). Install the full-disk encryption program that comes with most operating systems. For Macs this is FileVault, and for PCs it’s BitLocker.

Always keep your software click for source up-to-date. Regularly update your software programs. Many hackers gain access to computers through outdated software. Updates eliminate these weaknesses, making it more difficult for hackers to penetrate your system and steal information.

Install a firewall on all your devices. Firewalls are network security systems that are designed to control the flow of incoming and outgoing traffic on your computer. Windows and macOS come with a firewall built-in but it is suggested to employ a third-party application to secure mobile devices and home networks.

Review your network and device names. Do not use personal identifiers such as your name or phone number. This could give hackers access to your personal information.

Be cautious about discussing your work in public. Even small details, such as the place where you grew up, or the names of your pets could be used to help hackers break into security systems.