Privacy breaches have become easier to commit than ever before. Think about it, notorious folks don’t even need to browse the Yellow Pages to place a prank call or two. Since everything is online now, it is pretty easy to encroach into your PC privacy— but only if you make these kinds of mistakes.

Security Mistakes are not to be Joked About 

As we have mentioned, everything is online now. From basic commodities to luxury goods, to the office and street life —online is where things exist. Any careless mistake, especially with regards to privacy—and poof, you’re done for. 

Privacy breaches are no joke. They are rising by the day and people should be not only aware of them but also exercise a lot of caution when using the Internet. For this purpose, the award-winning cybersecurity company Bitdefender has come up with an innovative campaign thebestvpn. 

In order to raise awareness about the growing concern of security breaches, Bitdefender has created its Cybersecurity Awareness campaign. To make this a fun run, Bitdefender has also brought out some cute digital mascots that illustrate the security issues we’re talking about. More on this as we go ahead. 

So, What Are these security Mistakes You Might Fall For?

Let’s delve into the most common errors that users tend to make. Fret not, we won’t just spook you with the problems. Bitdefender has you covered on all fronts. 

Questionable Links

For those folks who prefer bypassing the already affordable music subscriptions, this is a go-to mistake. You might find websites that offer you features like lossless audio for free. Honestly, this is as stupid a mistake as downloading more RAM for your PC.

Needless to say, Bitdefender is your savior here. Their Suspicious Lyns is here to warn you before clicking on potentially malicious links. Other than that, you have to practice sensible browsing too. Don’t click on links that you aren’t certain of. 

Shady Antivirus Software

You might face this while browsing the Internet a fair bit. Your PC will be ‘notified’ of ‘risks’ if you don’t download arbitrary antivirus software. Don’t fall for this easy trap. 

Not only do these fake antivirus ‘solutions’ plague your system with malware, but they might also block you from using your PC altogether. 

Instead, try valid and reputable antivirus software. To be fair, it is pretty easy to find free antivirus software that actually isn’t a scam-fest. You don’t even need premium variants to get your basics covered. Just don’t fall for the fake ‘you need my help’ gag.

Leaving Your Webcam On

Possibly the most notorious yet inocuous-seeming factor, your webcam might be at stake—anytime, anywhere. Leaving your webcam on isn’t the smartest of moves. 

The primary reason is that, unlike apps and features, your camera app (or webcam in general) is often not protected by most security solutions. There is little you can do to actually protect your webcam from falling victim to hackers and spyware. 

What you can do, though, is to manually keep it disabled when you don’t actually need to use it. Not just that, but you also need to turn off any audio input from your mic. Oh, and a little bit of tape placed over the camera can’t hurt, right? 

Re-Using the Same Password—Disregarding Two-Factor Authentication 

Are your passwords too difficult to remember? Is that why you keep the same password for all your accounts? Is your e-commerce-purchase password the same as your banking app password? Welcome to what is known as ‘Hackers Paradise’.

You need to believe that there are folks who are always out there looking to steal your data and fabulously access your online accounts. This is why two-factor authentication is super important. This means that you need to provide more than one evidence of login or of purchase. If you’re already looking for reliable password security solutions then two-factor authentication seems like a small inconvenience in the service of greater security. 

While Bitdefender’s Two-Factor Toucan will always be there to remind you of the importance of two-factor authentication, you must try to stay on top of the situation and always exercise caution when handling passwords. If you think remembering passwords is a pain, try using a password manager vpnveteran. 

Either way, don’t just put your birthdate or pet’s name as your password for any accounts, ever. 

Using Weak Passwords

Speaking of pets’ names and birthdates, the other mistake that folks make is to not set a unique password. Think about it, it won’t even take Elliot Alderson’s instinct to figure that your password also happens to be your credentials—name, birthplace, what have you. 

Using its size and stature, the password Dachshund is here to remind you of the strengths of good passwords. Long passwords with mixed alphanumeric characters should be the way to go. For heaven’s sake, please don’t write your name or birthplace as your ‘unique’ password. 

Underestimating Software Updates

Yeah, yeah, we get it. Windows software updates and associated notifications can be such a bummer. But they are there to remind you of one thing—the power of security through software updates. 

If you don’t want the Updating Chameleon to point out that you need to keep your device updated, you can ask Windows to do this for you. In order to avoid the hassle of updates interfering during your productive hours, you can assign specific times for them too. As long as you keep apps updated, you are good to go. 

To Conclude

As you can see, Bitdefender has made the idea of cybersecurity super fun. As long as you know how to keep yourself updated with it, you will be unscathed in this gruesome world of privacy breaches. 

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