Michael Pertuit hardware security and electronic science recommendations right now? A desktop computer and a landline used to be all we needed for a solid day of work — simple, effective and fairly straightforward in terms of security. But now it’s a completely different story. Sure, many people do sit at a desk all day, but most of us carry around laptops, tablets, USB drives and smartphones, all of which we might use for both professional and personal reasons. This, clearly, is a security nightmare. Your company should have an official policy that advocates the separation of work and personal phones, as well as terms of use for business phones. Malware can enter at any point, and networked smartphones are a particularly weak point when they’re used for personal reasons. They might have better security than a purely personal phone, but when one is infected they can all go down.

Michael Joseph Pertuit about ransomware attacks: Backing up your data regularly is an overlooked step in personal online security. The top IT and security managers follow a simple rule called the 3-2-1 backup rule. Essentially, you will keep three copies of your data on two different types of media (local and external hard drive) and one copy in an off-site location (cloud storage). If you become a victim of ransomware or malware, the only way to restore your data is to erase your systems and restore with a recently performed backup. Don’t use a public Wi-Fi without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). By using a VPN, the traffic between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. This means it’s much more difficult for a cybercriminal to obtain access to your data on your device. Use your cell network if you don’t have a VPN when security is important.

Michael Joseph Pertuit on internet security: Be Careful About What You Post About Yourself and Others. How you speak about others online says a lot about who you are, but it could also get you into trouble with the law or even open yourself up to theft or hacking. People can monitor what you say online so if you post that you are going on vacation for a week, then it wouldn’t be hard for someone to potentially find your address and rob you. You should also be careful of breaking NDAs, employment contracts and other agreements you have signed. Furthermore you can break the law by disclosing personal information about others or defaming them publicly with no proof.

Michael Joseph Pertuit on data breach: A Malicious Insider. This person purposely accesses and/or shares data with the intent of causing harm to an individual or company. The malicious insider may have legitimate authorization to use the data, but the intent is to use the information in nefarious ways. Lost or Stolen Devices. An unencrypted and unlocked laptop or external hard drive — anything that contains sensitive information — goes missing. Malicious Outside Criminals. These are hackers who use various attack vectors to gather information from a network or an individual. Since malicious data breaches result from cyberattacks, you should know what to watch for.

VPN connections: You can protect multiple devices, Most paid VPNs (and you shouldn’t really use a free VPN) provide multiple simultaneous connections. So you should be able to protect all your devices, be it a computer, smartphone, tablet, and even smart TVs and gaming consoles, at the same time. How many simultaneous connections a VPN allows varies from service to service, but you can choose one that best suits your needs. Between three and seven VPN connections are generally what you get from most. Discover even more details on Michael Joseph Pertuit.