7 Ways to Protect Information on Your Computer | Antivirus

The targets of hackers' attacks are not only government agencies, banks or popular websites. The personal information of ordinary users may also interest crackers. to leave their owners without a penny on their account. In order not to become a victim of hackers, it is necessary to pay attention to the security of personal data storage. This article will tell you how you can protect personal information on your computer.

Method 1: Strong Passwords

The easiest way to protect data on your computer is to use strong passwords. Most users know that security experts do not recommend using simple combinations of numbers and letters (qwerty, 12345, 00000) as a key. But the emergence of "smart" hacking programs has led to the fact that more complex passwords can be calculated by brute force. If the attacker knows the potential victim personally, an atypical but simple key (date of birth, address, pet's name) is also easily selected. To save accounts on social networks and other resources, as well as a user account on a PC, it is recommended to use complex combinations that consist of upper and lower Latin letters, numbers and service symbols. For example, a key like 22DecmebeR1991 is recognized by sites as reliable, but contains a date of birth and therefore can be easily hacked.

Method 2: Encrypt Data

To protect personal information on a computer in the event a corporate attacker attempts to access it, it is recommended to use data encryption. The system mechanism allows you to encrypt information on one or more hard disk partitions. Access to files becomes possible only when using a special key. If you need to secure individual files and folders, the easiest way to protect personal data on your computer is to use encrypted archives.

here is also a large number of free software that allows you to encrypt data. Such programs include Free Hide Folder, Folder Lock, TrueCrypt and others.

Method 3: Using an Antivirus Program

To gain access to someone else's PC, hackers use auxiliary software installed on the victim's computer. Trojan viruses intercept information entered from the keyboard, replace sites with copies created by fraudsters, and transfer personal data. To defend personal data, it is desirable to install the current variant of the antivirus software and keep track of its updates.

Method 4: Set a Password on the Bios and/or Hard Drive

Basic OS password protection does not allow you to quickly hack the system, but it is vulnerable if the computer falls into the hands of a criminal for a long time. By reinstalling Windows, you can access unencrypted files. Setting a BIOS password (UEFI) *, which must be entered when turning on the computer makes it impossible to boot the PC from either the built-in or external media. * BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a part of the system software of a computer that is responsible for organizing the operation of the system's hardware components and controlling its loading.

The names of the settings sub-items may differ for different computer models, but, as a rule, the necessary options are located in the section whose name contains the word Security. An even greater degree of protection of personal information is provided by hard disk password protection. By setting the access code for the drive via BIOS / UEFI, the user makes it useless in the hands of an attacker. Even after removing the hard disk drive from the PC case and connecting to another device, you cannot access the data. An attempt to unlock the drive with the "master key" will destroy the data.

Method 5: Using the HTTPS Protocol

When using it, data is encrypted using the SSL protocol. Unfortunately, for this method of data protection to work, the server must be equipped with support for this technology. It cannot be used unilaterally.

If the server supports HTTPS, then when the client connects, the system assigns it a unique certificate and all transmitted data is encrypted with a 40, 56, 128 or 256-bit key. Thus, decryption is carried out only on end devices, and interception of someone else's signal will not give anything to the attacker. If the service involves working with confidential information or conducting financial transactions, it is recommended to be wary of resources that do not support HTTPS. Websites of online stores, banks, and payment systems (Yandex. Money, Webmoney) use the HTTPS protocol by default. Services, Google,, provide the ability to enable it in your account settings. Other sites also work with him.

 Method 6: Securing Wireless Networks 

If the computer's security settings do not restrict access to it over the network, an unsecured Wi-Fi the network allows an attacker to gain access to the contents of the drives. To avoid this, it is recommended to set WPA / WPA2 data encryption method on the router and set a strong password (see Method 1). To eliminate the risk of hacking the Wi-Fi network, you can turn off the broadcast of the connection name (SSID). 

Method 7: Parental Control Systems 

To protect your personal information on your PC, you can create a restricted account for your child. Windows (7 and newer) contains built-in parental controls. With their help, you can limit the time a child spends at the computer, prohibit access to certain programs, and block the ability to install third-party software. In addition, some providers support this function. In this case, in your personal account on the operator's website, you can set restrictions on visiting certain resources.