Technology is an amazing thing that can help make life easier. However there are people out there who can exploit technology in order to use it against us. Here are a few basic things you can do to protect yourself, your systems, and your data from people who may want to misuse it.

Strong Passwords
First are passwords. It is very important to keep passwords complex and not write them down around your workstation. Passwords that are not unique and complex can be broken quickly. Also you should not use the same password for all of your accounts. I know it can be hard to remember them all, but there are applications out there for smart phones and computers that allow you to keep a protected list of all of your passwords

Always Update
Next, I would like to mention updates. Keeping your computer and applications up to date is very important. Sometimes software that is created and distributed can have bugs in them that allow someone to access your systems or data. Updates can fix these bugs and keep you protected.

Do Not Go Unprotected
Lastly, antivirus software is something that no one should ever go without. There are many ways a computer can be infected with viruses and not all of them can be avoided. It is always better to be protected and not need it, then be unprotected and need it.  Also, don’t believe that you need to pay for good anti-virus software. Some of the best anti-virus software is free to download (Avast!, AVG, Avira). Updates tie into anti-virus as you must keep your anti-virus up to date. New viruses come out daily. So to keep yourself protected you must update.

Technology is an ever changing thing. As it grows and changes there will always be someone out there trying to misuse it. It will always be important to think about how you can protect your systems and data from misuse.