alphaPlan · Cybersecurity · Cheat-sheet 02
Everyday Security Basics
A few everyday habits, long unique passwords, MFA, updates, tested backups and early reporting, close the doors attackers use most.
Ideas to remember
- 01Length matters more than odd symbols: a phrase of four or five random words is long and easy to remember.
- 02Every account gets its own password, and a password manager remembers them for you behind one strong master password.
- 03MFA adds a second step, so a stolen password alone is not enough; turn it on starting with your email.
- 04Most updates are quiet repairs to known security holes, and a published fix tells attackers exactly what to look for on unpatched devices.
- 05A backup counts only if it is recent and you have tested a restore, and one copy must stay out of ransomware's reach.
- 06Attacks move through stages, get in, move, act, and breaking the chain at any stage stops the attack.
Words
- Authentication
- Proving who you are when you log in; a strong password is the first part of it.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- A second step after your password: a code from an app, a tap on your phone, or a hardware key.
- Password manager
- An app that keeps all your passwords in one encrypted vault and fills them only on the real site.
- Patch
- The fix a maker releases to close a specific known weakness.
- Ransomware
- Malicious software (malware) that locks your files and demands payment to unlock them.
- 3-2-1 backup
- Three copies of anything important, on two kinds of storage, with one kept somewhere else.
Do this
- Turn on MFA wherever it is offered, starting with your email.
- Switch on auto-update on your phone, computer, apps, browser and home router.
- Every so often restore a file or two from your backup and confirm they open.
- If you clicked something: stop, disconnect if it looks serious, report it right away, then change the password from a device you trust.
- Report even when you are not sure; a false alarm costs less than silence.
Watch out
- Reading a one-time code out to anyone who phones or messages; no real bank or IT team will ever ask for it.
- Approving an MFA prompt you did not start; it usually means someone has your password.
- Clicking 'later' on updates for weeks, and forgetting quiet devices like the router and smart TV.
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