With Halloween right around the corner, let the threat to your computer security be one less fear. Computer security is all about keeping data safe from threats and loss. It is critical to have proper practices in place for the overall security of the Internet, as well as individual protection of your devices. The security and privacy problems we are presently facing are expected to increase as quickly as the Internet of Things grows. Here are five measures to eliminate the fear of a cyberattack and keep your digital world more secure:

1. Have a firewall in place to prevent hackers from gaining access to your device.
2. Install up-to-date, real time, malware protection to keep virus-infected software away from devices within your protected network.
3. Be aware of phishing emails and delete any message that asks you to update information in a financial or retail account.
4. Set up your junk email filter to keep spam out of your inbox.
5. Use the password protection options available to keep unauthorized users off your devices and Internet sites.

Implementing basic tools such as authentication processes, security technologies, and user procedures for your computer’s security will minimize your risk of loss or theft of data from within a network. Remember, sometimes your best defense to keep data safe is to use common sense and avoid negligence. If you are interested to learn more about living in a digital world, check out Paradigm’s learning solution, Our Digital World: Introduction to Computing, Third Edition.