Common Sense

    Common Sense

    Often, when learning about security online, people say “just use common sense”. But what do they mean by that?

    Don’t click on shady links

    But what makes a link shady? Detecting it is a skill that can be practiced! There are great exercises to help you learn how to spot phishing links:

    Avoid downloading software from random websites and torrents

    Follow the money: why would someone give you something for free? Often times, it’s because they want to install malware on your computer.

    Use a password manager

    Password managers have come a long way in the last few years. They’re easy to use, are integrated directly into your browser and can also generate your 2FA tokens. Here are a few popular ones:

    Keep your software up to date

    Clicking “remind me tomorrow” in perpetuity is not a good idea. Software updates often contain security patches that fix vulnerabilities. If you don’t update, you’re leaving yourself open to attack.

    Our free apps can help you with this: they remind you if your most used software is out of date.

    Enable all security features that come with your computer

    Macs have great security out-of-the-box. Linux too. Even Windows has improved a lot in the last few years.

    Make sure you’re using all the security features available to you! Our free apps can help you with this: they periodically check that all security features are enabled.

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