Don’t make it easy for them, remember:

Use a Firewall

A firewall is designed to protect one computer network from another, they offer protection by controlling traffic entering and leaving a network.  The firewall does this by using a set of filters or rules that are set by the user to control the traffic. Generally, personal computers come with a software firewall already installed, however, we would advise that you check this is definitely the case.

Keep software up to date

It is important that you make sure any software on your laptop or computer is kept up to date as technology changes constantly, new vulnerabilities will continue to be exploited. To do this download any updates and patches from the software developer on a regular basis, the software needs to be current as older software becomes redundant, leaving a door open for cybercriminals.

Use a strong password and change it on a regular basis

Sometimes users continue using a default password on new hardware and systems, this is unwise and passwords should be changed on a regular basis.

To make sure passwords remain secure, here are a few guidelines to choosing one:

• Passwords should be quite lengthy, the more characters it has, the harder it is to identify
• Use different types of characters, including symbols, numbers and punctuation marks
• Try to avoid using personal names, such as family, pets or sports teams
• Use different passwords for different accounts, so if one application is compromised it does not impact others