As the world becomes more and more digitalthe cyber hygiene has become a crucial term for the digital security, personal y organizational. As part of awareness month in cybersecurityit is necessary to know that in Ecuador the use of technology is in rapid expansionTherefore, understanding and applying cyber hygiene is essential to protect the personal and business information.
According to the report of Cybersecurity of the National Police of Ecuador, an increase of 33% was reported in cases of cyber crimes during 2021 (2022 Report). So also of the statistics presented by the Computer Incident Response Center ARCOTEL‘s EcuCERT, as of June 2024, 6,121 IP addresses with vulnerabilities have been reported (DNS_Open_Resolver, Open_SNMP, Open_Telnet, Open_VNC, among others), and 5,431 IP addresses reported due to cyber incidents (Scanners, Compromised_website, Malware, Bruteforce, among others) . This highlights the need for a greater awareness y education about the cyber hygiene in the country.
The cyber hygiene refers to a set of practices and measures that users can implement to improve their security online; preserve the health of the systems; and, protect your data and devices as computerslaptops, cell phonesamong others, of cyber threats. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the cyber hygiene includes “a wide variety of practices y procedures that allow the organizations handle effective way the risks inherent in security of the information“.
The cyber hygiene proposes adoption of one mindset focused on the security so that each holder, regardless of: age, knowledge previous, or permanent or massive use may lead to practice specific actions, permanent y everyday to avoid putting yourself at risk and with it minimize violations online potentials. As it is a change of mentalitymust be generated good habits of cyber securitywhich must be part of the daily routine, as they seek to guarantee health y digital well-being.
Below we propose some good practices permanent ones that you can include in your automated reminders or add to your calendars for different tasks:
1. Maintain the operating systems and applications updated in all devicesfor which you can program automatic updates and use and keep up-to-date reliable antivirus software.
2. Creating passwords complex and unique for each account. For example, a strong password could be a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols, such as “Ecuad0r!23Segura”. In addition to changing them periodically.
3. Add an extra layer of security when implementing multiple forms of verification in all systems y platformsas it can prevent unauthorized access to bank accounts and applications of social networksas well as constantly monitoring them.
4. Educate yourself about cyber risks, such as avoiding threats more common, such as phishing and in general any type of malware.
He phishing (identity theft) is one of the scams most common. In 2022, 20% of Ecuadorians reported having received suspicious emails. The education How to identify these emails is essential. For example, the users They should be wary of messages that request personal information or that contain dubious links and verify the authenticity of emails y links.
5. Implement security in Social Networks. Users must adjust their settings of privacy and be cautious when accepting friend requests of strangers.
6. Protect the personal datado not provide personal information through calls telephonesocial networks, instant messaging, emails or applications without previously verifying the identity of the counterparty, the existence of a Privacy Policy o data protection that informs what, for what and how the information is going to be used. personal informationhow and where I can exercise my rights and do not forget that consent can always be revoked.
7. Backup information on a regular basis, whether in hard drives or storage in the cloud to avoid data loss; Completely clean the hard drive, that is, delete data from it when it is no longer required.
The personal cyber hygienealthough it is a question of individual practicestheir effort and their impact is collective. Well, it implies a expansive benefit for the entire society and also requires the collaboration of institutions of the state, of companies, of academia, of technical communities y organizations of the civil societyand even from their own citizens who must promote a culture of cyber security.
Through education, implementation of tools adequate, greater awareness about the risks and of practice permanente and sustained habits of cyber hygiene of each of us, we can better protect our personal information and also the business in the digital age.
