It’s the time of year for spooks and scares, when the boundary between the human and spirit worlds is reportedly at its lowest, meaning anything can happen.
Much the same can usually be said regarding online security, where the sorts of scares you’re more likely to encounter come not from ghosts or ghouls, but hackers or scammers after your data or your money.
But don’t fret, we’ve got some top tips to help you trick your way to security safety this Halloween.
Avoid a password scare
Having and using strong passwords across all of your accounts can be a big step towards ensuring you stay safe online - but only if you do it properly.
All your vital accounts or logins should have hard-to-guess, unique passwords employing a mix of letters, numbers and special characters that are changed regularly, meaning hackers and other cybercriminals aren’t ever able to gain access to any of your online accounts or personal devices.
Using the same passwords for different accounts can be risky, as all it takes is for one to be compromised for hackers to gain access to everything else.
We know that sounds like a lot to remember, but luckily Bitdefender Total Security 2020 features an in-built Password Manager service that lets you keep track of all your accounts, meaning your details stay safe.
Watch out for email tricks
With many of us now working from home, there’s extra responsibility when it comes to security at work as well as in our personal lives.
Email threats have not gone away, with phishing attacks, which see scammers hackers send spoof messages aiming to trick victims, are on the rise to target unwary remote workers - but they can often be spotted easily.
Phishing emails often look to imitate a legitimate company(such as your employer) in an attempt to steal login details or personal information, but will often contain obvious spelling, imaging or formatting errors, or have clearly malicious links.
Never click on any links in an email you’re not sure about - and Bitdefender Total Security 2020 goes beyond typical antivirus and malware blockers to keep you protected from all the latest phishing scams, as well as allowing you to set up enforceable rules to divert risky emails into your spam or junk folder, greatly decreasing the chance of falling victim to an attack.
Treat your software with an update
Now the nights are drawing in and getting colder, many of us will be wrapping up more to go outside - but remember your online devices need protection too.
Keep all your connected devices protected by ensuring you always have the latest software updates and security patches installed. It's always best to update your systems as soon as new upgrades are released, as hackers often try to target unprotected devices during these windows.
This isn’t just true for laptops and traditional PCs either - keeping your smartphones, tablets and even smart home devices such as routers and televisions updated can be the key to keeping your devices well protected.
Bitdefender Total Security 2020 provides comprehensive protection against all major cyberthreats across mobile and PC devices, including Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS, with up to 15 devices per household covered by your subscription.
Use a VPN
While there might not be much trick-or-treating this year, there’s still a way to give yourself a (kind of) disguise online - with a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.
A VPN disguises your physical location when you’re online, meaning it will appear that your connection is originating from another country or region of your choice.
This should mean that anyone trying to snoop on your browsing is unable to do so, giving users around the world a whole extra level of privacy against those hoping to sneak a look.
Bitdefender Total Security 2020 comes with the company's VPN solution that offers a 200MB/day allowance for encrypted traffic across all of your devices, meaning that your internet experience should never be compromised.
