One of the greatest threats families face today with their home networks is ransomware. Unfortunately, ransomware has become incredibly profitable, and cybercriminals know how to exploit these weaknesses. The most common method that family PCs become infected is from email attachments or malicious software downloads. The most common way for families to encounter these types of attachments is through phishing emails. Email attachments are usually the number one method cybercriminals use to infect a computer with a virus or ransomware. Most of the time, malicious email attachments start with a trusted product or person that cybercriminals spoof.
One of the easiest ways for families to ensure proper protection is to install a reliable anti-virus product. However, finding one that doesn’t cause performance issues on a PC can be an issue. Therefore, we recommend Sophos Home Premium for home users. Sophos provides some of the best protection against phishing and ransomware.
Simply put, passwords are weak when it comes to protecting different areas online. The best way to protect your online accounts (Banking, Social Media, Email) is to enable multi-factor. Multi-factor provides additional security by enabling something you know, (password) and something you have (Mobile Phone). Most major online solutions contain ways to allow this feature. Below are a couple of resources or using a search engine with the name of the resource you are looking for often will result in the proper documentation.
As mentioned in the previous section, passwords are one of the areas that cause the most issue. Strong passwords can be a significant deterrent. With so many different online accounts, it becomes difficult to keep track of them all. One of the best solutions is to use a password safe or manager. A password safe allows you to store your passwords securely and then use a master password to access those online resources. Searching online or the app stores will provide lots of results. Our preferred password manager partner is Bitwarden.
