We blogged last week on Data Security and Password Management. The Government of India has taken initiatives to educate the users on the best practices that must be followed to protect them from different cyber security attacks and cyber threats. Nowadays, cyber attackers can hack your computer and access your saved data and all other information. There is a need for best practices that protect users and their data from threats like malware, phishing, and data breaches from Hackers or Cyber attackers.

 The precautions as initiated by CERT-In (The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) concerning Desktop, Browser and Email Security are as follows;

Desktop Security:

• Use genuine Operating Systems and Software. Keep your Operating System updated.
• Install anti-virus and anti-malware solutions and keep them updated. Use strong login passwords and change them periodically.
• Regularly take backups of your important files and data.
• In case of incidents such as hardware failure, or cyberattacks, having backups can help you restore important information.
• Maintain multiple copies of critical data in different locations to prevent loss in case of disasters.
• Periodically test and verify your backups to ensure they can be used for restoration when needed.

Browser Security:

• Update your web browser with the latest patches. Disable pop-up windows in your browser.
• Delete browser cookies and cache regularly. Have “Safe Search” ON in Search Engines.
• Enable private browsing or incognito mode. Be careful with the websites you visit.
• Check the URL of a website to make sure that it has the “https://” or a padlock icon.

Email Security:

• Verify the sender before clicking on any link/ attachment.
• Check the domain name in the email address of the sender. Look for misspelt or typo errors.
• Don’t click any links/attachments from suspicious emails received from strangers.
• Do not use official email accounts for online shopping or ticket booking.
• Do not click on shortened URLs received in emails/ chats/ messages without verifying them by expanding the URL.
• Use strong passwords.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• Do not store usernames and passwords in public systems.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is a Government Organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India established to secure Indian cyberspace. CERT-In provides Incident Prevention and Response services as well as Security Quality Management Services. It is observing the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in October 2024 by organizing various events and activities for citizens as well as the technical cyber community in India with the theme of “Secure Our World” and “Cyber Surakshit Bharat” and hashtag #SatarkNagrik.

Source: The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)