The recent hack perpetrated by an unethical digital thief has raised serious concern about security of personal data especially on cloud accounts. Cloud computing has been touted by companies as the next step in the evolution of computing where your data is accessible to you through all your devices. It is immensely convenient, but this leak brought forward some serious flaws in the security.
Cloud computing has seriously gained steam, with government and corporates bringing in their data on the cloud. The Indian government recently spoke of a plan for bringing each citizen’s government data on the cloud that can be accessible by government offices. This surely has a lot of merits but the privacy concerns still looms. Hopefully, the lessons learnt by incidents like the recent hack will help make the security of cloud systems stronger.
So how do you keep your data safe from the low-lifes’ on the internet who go snooping into others business? Well, here we list how you can enjoy the convenience of cloud storage and the internet while not letting go of your rightful privacy.
1. Set Up Two-Step Verification
A good way of doing this is through the two-step verification feature. This process adds an extra layer of security. All major service providers like Apple, Google, Facebook and others provide a two-step verification which sends a code in a text message that you punch in to access your account.
2. Use Google Authenticator App
If you are a heavy Google account user then the Google Authenticator app for iOS, Android and Blackberry can come handy for you. Its main function is that it develops a two-step verification code, making it practically impossible to hack. Download it from here.
3. Stay Vigilant
Learn how your account works, because there is no value in ignorance. In times when we live in a network of digital devices, knowing how they operate is essential. Don’t take pride in your ignorance, something that Jennifer inadvertently did at an award function, and it tipped off the hacker.
4. Change Your Passwords Frequently
This point has been said multiple times but it still needs repeating: Change your password regularly. Even when you think your account holds nothing of importance, there is still a lot of personal information in there, so it’s better to have a strong password protecting your information. You can create a code that you can keep on updating without forgetting.
5. Better Safe Than Sorry
Last but not the least, the most important precaution that you can take is, not take the compromising images in the first place. If you take an image with a device that connects to the internet, know that the people on the internet have the ability to access it. Yes, sadly that’s the world that we live in now. But if you really need to send some data that you want to be fully secure; you can show the data to the person intended physically, send files through Bluetooth or use encrypted messaging apps like Signal.
With all the security measures that can be taken, you have to realize that the systems will have some deficiencies. The hackers exploit those deficiencies. But each time they do infiltrate the security, they teach the companies the faults in their systems and make systems stronger. So even though someone as amazing as Jennifer Lawrence had to deal with this inconvenience, the system has become a bit more secure for the regular folks. So be alert what you do on the internet. Take precautions and you’ll be safe.
