The best way to safeguard your computers, mobile devices and data from hackers is secure PC software. Hackers (also known as cybercriminals) attack your device or computer for a variety of reasons, including taking, altering and deleting information that you consider important. Hackers are motivated by malicious motives, unlike other thieves who may use stolen goods for legitimate purposes. They are most concerned with unauthorized access to sensitive information. This can happen before you even know that something is not right.

Passwords, a virus protection program and firewalls are the http://www.pcinfoblog.com/how-to-build-a-security-environment-with-virtual-data-room three essential steps to secure your computer software. If you follow these recommended practices, it is less likely that your computer will be compromised by hackers or malware (software that locks information and demands payment for its unlocking).

Change the name of the administrator account. Make sure to choose a password that is strong and contains upper- and lowercase numbers, letters, and computer symbols. Avoid using a password that is short like 1234, as hackers are able to employ automated tools to crack passwords that are easy to guess in just a few minutes.

Maintain your operating system (OS) and other software up-to-date. Most software updates include security fixes to help protect against hacking. Install all patches and turn on automatic updates as they become available to limit the amount of time you’re vulnerable to hackers.

If you own a laptop, or any other portable device that’s not being used, ensure that the drive is secured. This is especially important for UF students. You can enable encryption in Windows by going to Settings > Update and security > Device encryption. This will encrypt your entire internal drive and a majority of external drives, including SD cards.