8 ways to avoid being hacked

I have been involved in providing automated solutions for companies for years. I have prepared detailed presentations and spoken at events, repeatedly warning customers and our staff how to avoid being hacked. However, a few weeks ago, I almost fell victim!

What happened? I was at a parking meter in Chicago trying to use my credit card to get a parking ticket for my car. The card failed the first time but after a few attempts, it finally happened. I resolved the incident to zero degree and a frozen parking meter. Seconds later, I received a message saying: "Your card has been restricted, call us at 312-985- 5635. I had already received a similar VISA email when my card was pirated.

"312" is a Chicago area code, and I thought that VISA was worried about the innumerable attempts on the meter, so I was about to call the number, but I was suspicious. Instead, I called the VISA number on the back of my card. VISA said that my card was not waiting and everything was fine. Always call the number on the back of the card! A good example: never let your guard down. A mere coincidence like the previous one can give the impression of being real and logical. I did a web search on the phone number and, of course, this is a known phone number scam.


What are the common ways in which you can protect yourself?

Avoid phishing emails. 156 million are sent daily around the world. 10% fall for a scam and share your personal information. Any email that suggests high urgency or entertainment value, especially with a link, should be avoided. An ingenious trick used is the emulation of a popular email address with a single modified letter. When you are in a hurry (and who is not) it is very easy to click on it. Do you want to click on an email from DisneyyWorld.com, with a picture of Mickey to see a tempting vacation offer?

Avoid smiling text messages. Same as phishing but the text.

Use multiple security programs and update frequently. Do not trust a program. Not performing the updates is the same as not having them, as new viruses come out every day.

Stay away from "scary sites" while browsing. If you have a terrible feeling that something is wrong but you have already clicked on the site, there is a simple way to verify if it is safe. In Internet Explorer®, click on the lock image in the upper right corner of your browser. This will verify the validation certificate of the site so that it knows if it matches. If the site is good, it will say: "This certificate is correct". That means that anyone who says he owns it does so. If you use Chrome®, you must click on the 3 points and go to More tools and then to some layers to find that in security. Some browsers do not support this feature. Be very careful with what you click when you browse.


Build a better password. Use two-factor authentication. Never store passwords on your computer. Update and change passwords regularly. Use 20 or more characters. If you can not live with all these things, choose at least some things that will be better than doing nothing.

We all know the ghost messages of friends. Some respond to emails that you did not send. Most contain a tempting link that you never want to click on. Interestingly, when writing this, I just got one of them. Very common Easy to click quickly. Look carefully before clicking.

Computer locked While browsing, you receive a frightening message of how police have detected a virus on your computer. You have been blocked by Ransomware. Do not pay It will not make a difference.

Ignore "pop-up" ads that tell you that a computer virus has been detected. Often, they tell you to click and the virus will be deleted.

Piracy / virus is a very serious problem. As a general rule, all circumstances can be avoided by incorporating a simple thinking process before proceeding and taking appropriate precautions. Everyone rushes to spend the day, so quick clicks are very common and hackers know it.