In recent years, data collection, storage, and analysis have become an integral part of many operations. The dramatic increase in the volume and variety of data has posed new challenges in information management. In this context, security issues are increasingly becoming a top priority, especially in protecting the privacy and safety of personal data.
Security researchers are continuously reporting on the growing number of social strategies, phishing campaigns, and identity theft attempts against the public. Both the European Union (EU) and a number of states in the United States (including California, Utah, Colorado and Virginia) have introduced specific regulations, requiring businesses and organizations to take responsibility. protect the personal information in their possession.

However, when it comes to how we, as individuals, process and use data, less attention is often paid to implementing safeguards. According to Mr. Bernard Marr, a famous speaker and consultant on technology and strategy for both government and business, he proposed 5 basic rules that users need to follow to not only update effective methods but also understand the threats they may face. Understanding these principles will help any individual minimize their chances of becoming a victim of data breaches.
1.Apply good password and authentication management practices
Apply strong passwords: To ensure security, passwords should have at least 12 characters, preferably 16 characters, and must include letters, numbers, and special characters in a random combination . Avoid using dictionary words to increase the difficulty of guessing your password. Furthermore, although passwords need to be unique and not easy to guess, it is also important that they are easy to remember to reduce the risk of you needing to make a note of them.

Avoid reusing passwords, especially for different accounts to prevent a situation where if one account is hacked, hackers can try and use the same password to access other accounts.
Don't share your password with anyone - even if you trust them, as there's a chance they could write it down in places where it could be accessed.
Use a password manager: This tool makes it simple to create secure passwords for many services. While no system is impenetrable, using a password manager can reduce the risk of hackers taking advantage of your weak passwords to access accounts.
Every system can be hacked, often due to insecure passwords. A password manager can effectively prevent you from using unsafe passwords, minimizing the risk that hackers can access your accounts, including your password manager.
Use two-factor authentication: This is an important measure because two-factor authentication can successfully prevent up to 99.9% of attempts to gain unauthorized access.
2.Stay up to date with everything
Updates often contain security patches that fix known vulnerabilities. Neglecting or refusing to download software updates can make it easier for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities. Hackers generally know that outdated software, operating systems, and settings open up many easy attack options.
Currently, many devices and applications already offer automatic updates, so users should enable this feature as soon as possible.
Critical systems and applications require users to ensure they are running the latest updated version, including:
Operating system: Updates often contain important security fixes.
Firmware updates: These updates affect how hardware operates, especially important for IoT devices, which can be used to attack other devices.
Web browser: This is often the first line of defense against threats from malicious websites.
Anti-virus and anti-malware programs: Need to be updated regularly to block the latest threats.
Read and understand data protection and privacy policies: Many users often neglect to agree to long and complex policies, but this is an important step to ensure data security and privacy individual. If you are serious about protecting your personal data, read and understand the policy before agreeing.
3.Read and understand the data protection and privacy policy
The reality is that not many people take the time to read the entire data protection and privacy regulations, which can run up to several pages in length, to which we must agree before accessing online services or Use your new software or hardware.
Even if many people are aware of how their personal information is collected and used, they may still blindly click the "I agree" button without being sure of the unpredictable data safety consequences. and your own personal privacy.
So, if you are serious about protecting your personal information, it is time to make a conscious effort to read and understand data protection and privacy policies before signing up. agree to the terms and conditions.

4.Regularly check privacy settings
Social networks and many other online services now offer comprehensive options for deciding how much information you want to share. In the context of social networks, these options include details such as whether other users can search for you by email address or phone number, or once they find you, they have access to other information the social network holds about you, such as images, videos, personal information, etc.
Additionally, in many cases, long-term use of a website or service can cause default privacy settings to be set for convenience and to disregard re-checking these settings. put this.
However, to ensure the safety of your personal information and sensitive data, it is important to periodically check the privacy settings on social media platforms and websites and services you frequently use. necessary.
5.Use VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that allows your device to connect to the Internet through a third-party server instead of a direct connection, while encrypting all data sent and received. This process not only increases the security of personal privacy by ensuring that the services you are using cannot identify you - all they "see" is just address of the third party server.
In the field of online security and data protection, VPN technology is considered the most advanced and easily deployed step to ensure that your personal information is not leaked when you perform online activities. gland.
VPN solutions are very popular these days, with our Rice VPN available in both free and paid versions. However, security experts often recommend that users choose paid services because they provide a higher level of security and are more reliable in protecting personal data.