Colleagues from Huawei forum, together with I intend to share with you the knowledge related to network security.
Wi-Fi networks or wireless connections are increasingly popular due to the growth of technology. Thousands of people go to cafes, libraries, museums, restaurants, among others, and connect to the network with their smartphones or laptops. Surely you have already done this, perhaps due to the need to communicate with someone close to you, to check your email or something else.
When we connect to a Wi-Fi network, we almost never think about its security. But is this necessary? The answer is yes, connecting to an unsecured wireless network can facilitate the theft of personal files, bank or social network passwords.
We can make our connection on a Wi-Fi network more secure, regardless of whether we are using it at home, at the office, at a friend's house or even on a public connection. Look:
1. Home Connection
We usually believe that this is the most secure connection we make, however, if we don't have the security settings right, we can allow many outsiders to connect to the network.
This can be done in two ways: they connect only to have free access to the Internet and even if this is not very serious, it will affect consumption. On the other hand, they can also use this connection to steal information for criminal purposes.
1.1. How to stay safer:
The first step is to enter a password to access the network. In addition, it is recommended that the type of network encryption is WPA2 which is more secure than WPA, WEP and TKIP. Thus, the information that circulates on the network will be safer if someone wants to access it.
It is also recommended to configure the router (the device that connects you to the Internet) using the HTTPS protocol to prevent password theft, hide the name that identifies the Wi-Fi network so that people close to the network do not see it when looking for a connection with the internet.
Perhaps all of these things are a little complicated for you, in which case, contact your ISP to have them help you make these settings.
1.2. Private Wi-Fi connections
We cannot always connect to the internet from our home. Sometimes we are at the home of a friend or family member and we ask you for your password to access, we believe that it is someone you trust and that we are safe. However, it is important to know when a network is secure:
Note whether the network is configured with WPA or WPA2 encryption which are the most secure.
If you see something suspicious, do not connect and communicate with the person so that they know that your network is not secure.
1.3. Public Wi-Fi Networks
Public connections are understood as "free internet" and sometimes we don't think about the consequences of connecting to a network without the necessary precautions. Just as you connect to this network, hundreds of people also do the same and we cannot know what your intentions are.
Therefore, when you access a public network for the first time, some devices will ask you what type of connection it is: choose Public network, because then, the security measures that the device will have will be greater.
When you access a website, make sure you have the HTTPS secure data protocol to be more secure. As far as possible avoid entering sites where you have to write passwords like social networks or bank sites when you are on a public connection.
2. Security with mobile devices
Mobile devices, such as smartphones (smart phones) or tablets are very useful, because with them we can connect to the Internet almost anywhere with a data plan or via wifi networks.
Basically, we use them as a computer, where we read news, watch video, check e-mails, among others. So, staying safe with this type of devices is very important.
2.1. Types of threats
Ø Losing the phone:
If someone steals your smartphone or if you lose it and end up falling into the hands of strangers, you may be in trouble if you have not entered a password to access it, because immediately all your personal information will be in the hands of a stranger.
Ø Computer virus:
It is the most common threat to both computers and mobile devices. Through it they can access your computer and steal information, conversations, images, videos and so on.
Ø Malware Attacks:
These malicious software can be in games, text messages, e-mails, among others, and attack the computer system to transfer or change files, extract financial information, install other programs, etc.
Another type of malware is the advertisements that appear in free applications and that can access the phone's settings and extract the phone identification number (IMEI), access the calls, among others.
Don't forget to check the applications you install, see what you need them for and the permissions they ask for to be installed.
Ø Information theft via Bluetooth:
When we keep our Bluetooth on, we run the risk that someone close to us can connect and access our phone.
How to prevent
a) Keep an antivirus up to date.
b) Buy and install apps in official stores.
c) Turn off Bluetooth when you're not using it.
d) Have secure passwords to access the device.
e) Backup safely to restore your system when needed.
f) Use location services in case of theft.
3. Email fraud and spam
E-mail or electronic mail is one of the platforms most used by criminals to target their victims. Through it they send spam (unwanted e-mails), and suspicious mails announcing a cheaper product or sending files with viruses to steal confidential information.
Email providers like Gmail and Outlook - to give you a few examples - have a system that detects these types of messages and places them in different ones.
But when is it a danger?
If you receive an advertisement in spam, in most cases, you can unsubscribe and the problem is resolved. The situation can be more complicated when you are dealing with a case of phishing or fraudulent misrepresentation. This is a fraudulent way that a person uses to lure the victim and make him or her share personal data, credit card numbers, and more. They can impersonate a bank and ask the victim to enter a fake website where they try to steal your data.
What to do? If you receive an email from Huawei and you think it is suspicious, do not open any links and report the message as phishing. This way you will no longer receive messages from this sender and will also help providers to identify those messages.
Generally, people who send spam use fake email addresses that look like the original. For example, change a letter to look like the original, you may receive an email from myhuawei@gmail.com and the criminal will try to deceive you using myhuawei@gmail.com where the only difference is that in the second, instead of using " the "they use the number zero" 0 ". If the person does not read the e-mail sender correctly, they may fall into a case of Pishing. Because most companies use corporate e-mail where after the "@" the name of the institution or something that identifies the company follows.
If the sender is not confirmed by your email provider, the message will remain in the Junk or Spam folder. If you know the person who sent it, you can mark the email as "desired mail" or "not spam".
Security we do it all together, if you notice anything suspicious in any email, do not reply or forward the email, or click on websites, surveys or awards. Mark it as spam or junk e-mail, so you will avoid exposing yourself to the network.
4. How to use social networks safely
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other diverse social networks are part of our daily lives. We usually access them through a phone, computer or tablet to see what happens to our family and friends. However, we almost never think about the risks that exist within them and how we can avoid them.
Because of the number of people connected to social networks, they have become a means used by criminals to attack their victims. But how do they do it?
4.1. Risk on social networks
4.1.1. Virus:
Malicious codes, viruses and trojans are used to access the victim's computer and thus steal confidential information or passwords. The propagation of these viruses is done through messages, mainly on Facebook, which send us to false links or using Java programming language that requests the download and installation of malicious files on the computer.
4.1.2. Pishing:
This method consists of stealing information using a false identity. Although these criminal actions are more common in email messages, criminals can create fake bank accounts on Twitter or Facebook to make a person believe it to be true and invite you to update data or access (fake) websites, such as trap.
4.1.3. Persecution:
When we have information, photos or video visible to everyone on social media, we can be the victims of a stalker. If we do not configure privacy on social networks, anyone can access everything that is published, which can become a problem and a risk to our integrity.
4.1.4. Information theft;
In our social networks we usually share a lot of information such as where we live, who we are, where we are, what we buy, what we eat, and so on. It may not be a big risk, like sharing a password or a credit card number, but with this data some cybercriminals create fake profiles to access people nearby and attack. To avoid this, set up yourTwitter,Facebookand other social networks so that only your friends can see your messages. If you want everyone to see your information, be on the lookout for any irregularities and report fake accounts.
5. What to do to prevent risks?
a) When you open a link that is on your social networks, check that the domain is correct and identified with the HTTPS code at the beginning, this indicates that it is not a fake page and will give you more security when using it.
b) Install an antivirus and keep it up to date. This is the main defense mechanism against viruses and malicious codes that circulate on the network.
c) Configure the privacy settings of your social networks, leaving little information visible to people you don't know.
d) Do not follow or accept accounts from strangers on your social networks. This prevents you from receiving messages that endanger your security.
e) Use search engines within social networks to find information about files or messages that are considered to be suspicious. In most networks, it is common for users to share opinions on these cases.
f) Do not fill out forms that promise prizes or money in exchange for information.
g) Use secure passwords with combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and characters. Remember that this is the main means of protecting yourself on the Internet.
Remember, even though cybercriminals are very careful, it is in our hands to take care of the security that we apply to our information.
6. Securely download and share files
Photos, videos and documents are things that we receive and send almost daily via email, WhatsApp, social networks and other tools that the Internet offers. Of course, when we do that, we don't want these files to fall into the hands of strangers. But what to do so that other people do not see this information?
a) Install an antivirus program and try to keep it up to date. This will help you to know if a file you are downloading is safe or not.
b) Do not download files from suspicious sites on the Internet. Sometimes we are tempted to download trendy series or movies, but doing it illegally can hurt us a lot.
c) If the file arrives via e-mail, check that the sender is trustworthy, do not download the file until you are sure of its contents.
d) Be careful with certain types of files that appear to be a thing but are actually viruses. Avoid downloading files that end in .exe, .scr, .bat, .com or .pif, unless you are sure of the content.
Conclusion:
All information technologies require a high level of information security that is patent. The protection advice should always be and read to have a good decision, because in computer science all errors, damage is mostly caused by the user himself, we have to have the decision to choose what we want, the hackers first of all communicate with us and convince us to make a certain decision.
The attention is that you can keep our devices safe.
