Secure PC software is the most important factor in protecting your mobile device, computer and your data from hackers. Hackers (also called cybercriminals) are able to hack into your device or computer for many reasons, including taking, altering, and deleting information you consider important. Hackers are malicious, unlike other thieves who use stolen goods for legitimate reasons. They are most concerned about the unauthorized access to sensitive information. This could happen before you even know there is something wrong.

Passwords, a virus prevention program and a firewall are the three most important steps to secure your computer software. If you follow these best practices your computer will be less likely to be compromised by malware, hackers or ransomware (software which encrypts www.pcinfoblog.com/bitdefender-vs-avast your data and demands payment to unlock it).

Change the name of your administrator account. Be sure to select a strong password that contains lower- and uppercase numbers, letters and computer symbols. Avoid using a simple password like 1234 as hackers could employ automated software to hack passwords that are easy to guess in mere minutes.

Update your operating system and other software. Most software updates contain security fixes to help protect against hacking. Install all patches and enable automatic updates when available, to minimize the amount of time you are exposed to hackers.

If you own a laptop or any other portable device that’s not being used, ensure that the drive is encrypted. This is particularly important for UF Students. Windows allows you to enable encryption by clicking Settings > Update & Security > Device encryption. This will protect the entire internal drive, as well as all external drives, including SD cards.