Building a Fortress

It's useful to think of the digital world as a battlefield. Hackers are the enemy, always on the prowl, armed with devious malware. And your system is a fortress, carefully built to keep that malware out.

The first line of defense in your digital fortress should be passwords. They're like secret keys that open the fortress gates. These keys let you come and go as you please. But the hackers? They can't get in.

At least, they can't get in if the passwords are strong enough. Often, that isn't the case. A recent report found that 3 in 4 people use passwords that are easy for enemy hackers to crack.

When hackers try to brute force a password, they'll start by guessing common words and sequences of numbers, like 'password' or '123'. If you don't use any of those in your password, it will take significantly longer to crack.

Instead, use groups of non-sequential numbers (e.g. 254 or 778453), and even some made-up non-dictionary words (e.g. flergle, or blumpblum, or cgshtbeep). Throw in some random capital letters, and some random symbols, to make the brute forcing even harder.

To put all this into perspective: a simple password, like 'octopus', could take less than a second to brute force. A better password, like 'Octopus345', could take months. And the best passwords of all, like 'FhemLY!@464' could take thousands of years to crack.

This doesn't mean that a password like 'FhemLY!@464' is unbreakable. Brute forcing techniques are getting better every year, with constant advancements in computing power, not to mention the help of AI.

And bruteforcing isn't the only way that a hacker can get your password. Imagine, for example, a phishing email that tricks you into entering your password on a hacker's decoy website.

Or a man-in-the-middle attack, where a hacker eavesdrops on your computer activity, and catches you sharing your password details with a friend.

Ultimately, even the strongest passwords are never entirely secure. Because of that, it's always good to use different passwords for all your different accounts.

That way, if a hacker got hold of one password, they'd only have access to one part of your system. It's like making sure to put a different lock on every room in your fortress.

Remembering lots of different, complex passwords can be daunting. But there's a solution to this: password managers. These digital vaults, like 1Password or Bitwarden, let you store all your different passwords. They're hyper-secure, and help you to safely keep track.

To elevate your passwords even further, you should always make sure to use some kind of multi-factor authentication (MFA).

MFA is an enhanced system that checks your identity via a series of different steps. It might ask you for a password, but also a fingerprint scan, or a security question, or a confirmation code sent to your mobile.

It's unlikely that a hacker would manage to access all of these things at once. And that makes MFA an extremely effective deterrent.

According to a report by Microsoft, using MFA can block a staggering 99.9% of cyber attacks. In other words, it's an essential feature for your high-security fortress.

When you're building your fortress, strong passwords are important: those keys to the fortress gates. But passwords are only one of the ways to keep your system safe.

Imagine that all the gates in your fortress are securely locked. But one of the walls is crumbling: there's a crack between some of the stones. In the context of cybersecurity, we call this a vulnerability.

A vulnerability is a weakness or error in a piece of software, which gives hackers a chance to squirm their way inside. These vulnerabilities can bypass all your password protections, just as a crack in the wall could bypass your fortress gate.

Fortunately, there's a solution to vulnerabilities: software updates. These updates are designed to patch any dangerous vulnerabilities before hackers have a chance to exploit them.

For example, if you own a Windows laptop, Microsoft will constantly review their code. Whenever they spot a vulnerability, they'll push an update that lets you seal it up.

Sometimes, these updates feel like a hassle, but it's crucial to install them as soon as you have the chance. Delays leave your system vulnerable, just as delaying repairs could leave your fortress exposed to attacks.

A lot of software gives you the chance to turn on auto-updates. In theory, this fixes any vulnerabilities without you ever even needing to click anything.

As a general rule, you should try to turn on auto-updates whenever you get the chance. They're quick and convenient, and much more reliable than manual updates, which you might forget to install.

You shouldn't rely on them entirely, though. Sometimes, an auto-update will fail, and you'll have to take manual action.

If you do ever notice an update failure, you'll need to find a way to fix it. Often, a simple system restart can resolve the issue. If not, you should contact the tech support for the company (e.g. Microsoft) who rolled the update out.

Remember: not all updates are safe. Sometimes, Trojan viruses are disguised as updates, and attached to emails with urgent messages: 'Install this now, your entire system is at risk!'

Because of this, if you're ever doing some manual updates, you should only ever download these updates from trusted sources like the manufacturer's official website.

This is another argument in favor of auto-updates. They'll always come straight from the manufacturer, and lower the risk of you clicking a Trojan by mistake.

Enable them on your computer. Enable them on your phone. Auto-updates are the very best way to seal those cracks in your walls.

So, passwords are the tightly-locked gates of your fortress. And updates are the patches that seal any cracks in the walls. But what if a hacker still gets in? You also need to take some steps to safeguard everything inside.

That's where encryption comes into play. It's a fundamental tool in cybersecurity, designed to protect all your files and data from unauthorized access. It does this by turning plaintext into ciphertext, making it impossible to read.

Here's an example: the plaintext word "hello!" could be encrypted into a string of ciphertext like "fRa4+6". If a hacker managed to access this ciphertext, they'd have no idea what it meant.

Whenever you encrypt a piece of plaintext into ciphertext, you'll need to use an encryption key. This is a unique string of symbols, almost like a password, that scrambles your data in a unique way.

If you want to turn your ciphertext back into plaintext, you'll need to use a decryption key. This is another password that lets you change your files back into a normal, readable format.

There are a couple of different approaches to this. With symmetric encryption, the encryption key and the decryption key are the same. With asymmetric encryption, the two keys are different. This approach is more complex, and therefore a lot more secure.

Encryption is integrated into a lot of applications automatically. For instance, most password managers automatically encrypt your passwords.

This provides an additional layer of cybersecurity, ensuring that even if your passwords are accessed, they'll remain unreadable (unless a hacker also has the decryption key).

As well as this, it's worth taking steps to manually encrypt your most important files. A lot of people will go ahead and encrypt their entire hard drive.

This process will be slightly different depending on your operating system, but there are plenty of popular encryption tools out there, like VeraCrypt and Bitlocker. Just get online, and find one that works for you.

Whenever you encrypt your important files, you'll also need to find a place to securely store the decryption key. If you lose that key, you won't be able to turn your files back into a readable format.

It's important to store decryption keys in a separate location from the encrypted data. Otherwise, if a hacker reached this location, they'd have everything they needed to decrypt the data back into something useful.

A cloud key management service (KMS) is a good option for this. It's like a password manager for decryption keys, all stored in a cloud far away from your actual files.

Overall, encryption is another vital tool in the battle against cyber attackers. Passwords and updates try to keep hackers out, while encryption keeps your files safe if anyone manages to get in.

Imagine that a hacker finds a way to enter your fortress. They bypass your defenses, and even manage to decrypt your important files. It's unlikely, but it isn't impossible. None of these cybersecurity methods are 100% unbreakable.

The hacker might destroy your data. Or they'll take it hostage, and demand a ransom. You don't know what to do. You don't want to lose your important personal files.

That's where backups come in. You can think of these as a safety net – a final defense after everything else has failed.

Backups are essentially duplicates of all your important files and data. You can use them to restore any damaged data, mitigating most of the harm that was caused by an attack.

They're easy to set up. You just need to copy all your important files, then paste them into a second location.

For example, you could use an external hard drive. These devices offer a tangible medium for storing copies of your data. A solid little box tucked up in a drawer, completely separate from your main computer, where no hacker could possibly reach it.

Having said that, it's worth encrypting any files that you backup on an external hard drive. Yes, ideally no one will find it, but you can never be too careful.

Cloud providers are another way to backup all your files. Popular options are Google Drive and Dropbox, which allow you to store a copy of your data in a safe, remote server.

They even offer automatic backup options, instantly replicating any changes you make to files on your main computer. This is much more convenient than an external hard drive, which you'll need to plug in and manually manage if you want to keep your backups up to date.

But remember: only use a cloud provider with a robust security system. You need to treat your backups like a secondary fortress, and make sure they're properly secured.

Your fortress is looking pretty strong now: good passwords, auto-updates, encryption, and plenty of backups. But there's one more thing your fortress needs: a team of professional guards.

This is where antivirus software comes into play. These specialist programmes sit on your system, blocking any dangerous malware that tries to make its way in. It will also actively scan your system, constantly checking for threats and vulnerabilities.

If the programme detects anything, it will promptly alert you with a warning message. This helps you to take immediate action, and keep your system safe.

There are plenty of antivirus options available on the market. Norton Antivirus is a popular choice, but it's relatively expensive, and some users complain that it isn't as efficient as it could be.

McAfee and Kaspersky are two more options. Along with Norton, they're probably the best known brands in the field of antivirus software, but they're also relatively costly (as of 2024, Kaspersky is also banned in some countries, due to the fact they're based in Russia).

There are also a few free options out there, like Bitdefender. Just like the others, it will keep a lot of malware out, but it doesn't have as many features as the paid alternatives.

At the end of the day, all of these options have different pros and cons. It's worth checking out some online reviews, and choosing what's right for you.

In addition to antivirus software, it's also important to equip your system with a firewall.

A firewall is yet another line of defense. It keeps an eye on any network traffic coming in and out of your computer, and compares that traffic to a set of predefined rules. If something appears to break these rules, the firewall won't let it through.

Firewalls are often pre-installed on computer systems, providing an immediate level of protection. However, it's important to check that this firewall is turned on and properly updated. Otherwise, it can't be expected to provide an effective defense.

There's a potential danger attached to firewalls and antivirus software: overconfidence. People think to themselves, "with these specialist programmes, my systems must be fully protected!"

But these pieces of software aren't infallible. Occasional malware could still make its way through, and that's why you also need those other defenses: strong passwords, auto-updates, encryption, backups, and so on.

Even then, you should always be vigilant. Cybersecurity isn't just about having the right tools. It's also about being the right user: proactive, informed, and prepared for the unexpected.