Introduction to Basic Cybersecurity
The Short Version
If you only read one thing in this section, read this list:
- Use a password manager. Let it make a different password for every account.
- Turn on two-factor authentication wherever you can.
- Install updates when your computer or phone asks. Don’t keep putting them off.
- Lock your computer whenever you walk away from it: Windows key + L. (See Unlocked Workstations.)
- Don’t click links or open attachments you weren’t expecting, even if they seem to come from someone you know.
- Don’t download programs from websites. Ask the sysadmin instead. (See Malware.)
- If something seems off, ask. Nobody will mind. It’s much easier to stop a problem early than to clean up after one.
The rest of this section explains why.
Why Bother?
In 2024, the FBI received 859,532 complaints about internet crime, with reported losses of more than $16 billion, up 33% from 2023. Cybercrime has caused major incidents around the world, such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack.
Most people don’t expect to be targeted. You’re an ordinary person doing ordinary work, so why would anyone go after you?
That’s the wrong way to think about it. Most attacks aren’t aimed at anyone in particular. They try everybody, automatically, and catch whoever isn’t protected.
Think of your computer as a house. In a dangerous neighborhood, you lock the doors at night. In a really dangerous neighborhood, you might get better locks, motion detectors, and bars on the windows.
The internet is an extremely dangerous neighborhood.
This section uses houses and locks to explain common attacks and how to stop them, without getting too technical. Continue to Brute-force Attacks.