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Cybersecurity can be confusing.
They work equally well on fresh installs and long-running computers.
Computers have transformed our lives.
They allow us to do things we couldnt possibly do otherwise.
As youve likely heard, cybersecurity isnt a destination, its an ongoing journey.
1Keep Your System Updated
All non-trivial software has bugs.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | MZinchenko /Shutterstock
Some bugs can lead to vulnerabilities.
Vulnerabilities are weak spots in your armor.
These vulnerabilities are exploited by cybercriminals.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
A common attack pop in uses malicious software, known as malware.
Malware comes in many different forms, and its distributed in many different ways.
Sometimes,innocent packages are compromisedand malicious code is injected into the applications code base.
The tainted software package unwittingly delivers its payload to every computer it gets installed on.
As well as fixing bugs that affect the operation of the software, patches address vulnerabilities.
We have guides onupdating Ubuntuandupdating Arch Linuxif you need some help.
Dont forget to apply patches to your applications too, not just the operating system.
Pay special attention to internet internet tool patches.
Some of these devices will get automatic updates.
2Secure User Accounts
Use strong passwords.
A combination of three unrelated words separated by punctuation characters produce passwords that are very resilient to brute-force attacks.
And make your passwords unique.
Dont re-use passwords on more than one system, and never share passwords between people.
Create unique accounts for your users.
If youve got too many passwords to remember, use apassword manager.
I checked mine while writing this, and Ive got 263 unique passwords stored in it.
Iftwo-factor authenticationis available, or a hosted service supports using passkeys instead of passwords, use them.
A good password manager will handle passkeys just as easily as passwords.
you might add two-factor authentication to your own computers too.
this is especially valuable if you connect to them remotely, using SSH.
The other golden rule is to use a regular user account for normal user tasks.
Only use the root account for system administration.
Most Linux systems kill the root account by default.
To access root-level functionality it’s crucial that you use sudo or run0.
This gives you short-term superuser status then demotes you to a normal user when youve completed that specific task.
Many modern Wi-Fi routers allow you to configure aguest Wi-Fi web connection.
This allows them to get to the internet, but isolates them from your main connection.
Dont click links in emails to install software.
Navigate to their official location and set up the software from there.
This avoids attacks that take you to dummy download sites.
Pay particular attention toFlatpaksandSnaps.
These are often unofficial versions of packaged, wrapped by volunteers.
Do some research and ask in forums and other online communities if these can be trusted.
If you download an utility and find it doesnt suit your needs, uninstall it.
Dont just leave it on your machine.
If a project is abandoned, and no longer in development, find a replacement.
Using an old version of software that no longer receives security patches increases your exposure to risks.
6Make Backups and Stay Educated
Make backups.
If disaster strikeswhether cyber-related or notyoull be able to reinstall Linux andrestore your data.
Make multiple backups on different media.
Have at least one off-site copy of your data.This is easy to achievewith cheap cloud storage.
Keep abreast of the latest security threats and issues.
Security should be a regular part of your IT housekeeping.
It’s time well spent.
