What is computer security and how can we make our computers secure?
Computer security is the protection of people and core computing components such as compute, storage, and network and the data that they store and process. It deals with the prevention and detection of unauthorized actions by users of a computer system. Furthermore, it is also the process of ensuring who accesses what resources in the computer systems. This in turn will help individuals or organizations to carry out their jobs, support critical business processes, and protect sensitive personal information and organizational data. Moreover, These security measures can be achieved through administrative, technical and operational security controls.
Best practices in computer security indicates that 10% security safeguards are technical while the remaining whooping 90% of security relies on the people who make use of the computers. As other security measures, computer security is concerned with ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of information and information systems.
Computer security may incorporate confidentiality, integrity, availability, authentication, nonrepudiation, access controls, accountability, and auditing features. More specifically, computer security protects hardware, software, and data from unauthorized disclosure, modification and destruction.
Common techniques to achieve computer security include the following;
- Use antimalware software and keep it updated
- Deploy a firewall and patch it
- Make sure that your passwords are strong and well protected
- Never open suspicious attachments
- Do not click unusual links in messages
- Apply basic security hygiene and browse the web safely
- Do not use software of unknown pedigree or pirated software
- Avoid using USB sticks or other removable devices unless you know it for sure
- Update and patch software continuously
- Ignore spam messages
- Establish robust computer backup procedure
- Apply two or multifactor authentication
- Employ encryption solutions
- Avoid using insecure public Wi-Fi
- Frequently clear web browsing history
- Turnoff autocomplement features
- More