These tips are simple and easy security advice to give to someone you love, even if it should be more Zoom. Moreover, following these guidelines should keep your family members safe for next year, with minimal involvement.
Keep Everything Up-to-Date
You might be surprised how many security threats can be stopped only by having up-to-date software on your laptop or phone. At the same time, they are not immune to the attacks. Most modern-day operating systems, web browsers, and applications very well keeping a dangerous activity in the bay.
These days it’s quite tricky to not store the operating system, programs, and other devices up to date. Most of them have auto-update turned on by default, but it’s good to check with family members to ensure they do not delay the update for any reason.
Ensure that are running the latest version of their software on their devices and that the auto-update turned on. And the process should take care of itself in the future. If a relative of using something so old that no longer get updates, you can even treat them to new models to keep them safe.
Show Them Your Work
Even the most tech-savvy of us will often resort to searching the web to find a solution to the problem. But can choose appropriate and relevant articles from a long list of search results, ads, some forum posts, and clickbait is a skill in itself.
People in your family may be able to find solutions to their problems-what they may lack confidence in interpreting what comes up. You can help by showing the resources handy, from Microsoft Support to Apple’s official forum.
You can email the list to anyone who needs it or even organize your bookmarks in the browser. Someone, if you can-they will be able to switch to email or bookmark them than you next time something goes wrong. Consider it empowers families to help themselves when you can not be there to help them personally.
Managing Passwords Properly
We often discuss the benefits of getting a password manager, and if you can persuade your relatives to sign up for one-and may even help them through the initial setup process-then. The software will look after them from then on.
A password manager will not only remember all your passwords across all your devices, but it will also ensure you are not using duplicate passwords for multiple accounts. This service can even suggest a super-strong, the original password for you, and warn you when a password has been compromised to change quickly.
Password managers such as Dashlane, LastPass, and Bitwarden has a free plan you can take advantage of, even though you may find it worth it to spend a few dollars on such a vital service-you can even be offered to family members as gifts.
Backup That Data
Getting the files and folders backed with simple cloud services such as Dropbox, one drive, iCloud, and Google Drive is much easier than it used to, so you must ensure that your relatives are sorted by one (or more) of these cloud storage platform fast enough.
The advantage of a security standpoint is that critical data can be recovered if a laptop or desktop computer will be affected by malware. Of course, it also means your family members have a safety net in place for all kinds of other problems and accidents.
As with a password manager, you may want to consider gifting some cloud storage space for his nearest and dearest if they do not have their own. All services cloud storage we just mentioned has a family plan that can take advantage of.
Finally, cloud storage is excellent and all, but if your family members own it or want a complete backup solution. Consider a more comprehensive tool, like Backblaze.
Set Up Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of protection to your digital account. If the password and username out in the wild somehow, 2FA will keep the doors to your account shut down. Because of the extra code is required for access.
This code is usually generated by the application on your phone and only necessary when you’re logging in to a new device or after a certain period. As far as family goes, which means when you’ve set this up for them. It should not be much of a worry for them in the future. Just be sure to take one of their recovery code may need in advance, only in case something goes wrong.
You can at least make sure your relatives have 2FA enabled on account. For those who hold most of their data-accounts run by the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Apple.
Phone Lock-It
Another quick way to help is to make sure your family cell phone is locked correctly. And protected from unauthorized access (if they get stolen or lost). If the security of biometric features. Such as fingerprints or facial recognition is not activated yet, have your family members turn.
You may also want to reduce the time fixed for the unlocked phone. Which again reduces the risk of other people getting access-Display the Advanced Screen timeout in Android settings, and Display & Brightness then Auto-Lock in iOS Settings.
It is a better idea to make sure the location of these devices can be tracked as well, in case the device is stolen or misplaced. Go to Security and Find My Device from the Settings page on Android, or open the iOS Settings, tap the Apple ID account at the top, and then select Find My.
Help From Far Away
Outside the stay at home for the holidays, you probably cannot (or will not) jump in the car or on a plane every time call your family members. Because something in their computer is not working correctly. Save yourself some in-person visits and long, protracted telephone calls in the future and set up some remote computer access.
If you are both using Windows, then Quick Assist tools come built-in, while on macOS, no screen sharing feature in Messages. If not, devices like TeamViewer and Chrome Remote Desktop is enough to make remote tech support is free to use and easy to configure, and powerful.
These tools allow you to quickly see and interact with the same laptop or desktop screen, which you see, from wherever you are in the world. You can give them advice about dealing with suspicious pop-ups, run a virus scan. Or even take control of yourself and work your way through whatever problems they are experiencing.
