Hi everybody. My name is Kyle i run a YouTube channel called hikyletaggart
where I talk about cameras, photography, tech, and all that good stuff. Today I want to talk about
why cybersecurity is so important. I've been in it for a little over 10 years now. I have a
B.S. in Management information systems and I've worked in a couple different facets in it, like
law enforcement, doing web server installations. I've worked in
store systems in a retail environment. I've done help desk at a university and I'm currently an
incident manager on the IT team for an online bank. So what is cyber security? Well, the
definition is pretty self-explanatory. It is the protection of our online space from hackers and
other cyber criminals. For most of us cyber crime seems like a pretty far-fetched threat. Just think
how many times have you heard people say they have nothing to hide or who would be interested in
their data? For some reason many users don't treat their online space the same way they treat their
physical space. They see cyber crime as something that's less tangible and therefore less dangerous.
People use weak passwords like "Password". Please don't use that! People also don't spend an extra
penny or two on antivirus software or a VPN. Most of the time they're just clicking on emails that
they haven't even read the title of. So we should protect our cyberspace just like we
would protect our physical space: like our house, apartment, or flat. Cyber crime can cause huge
damage impacting our financial, emotional, and social lives. Imagine your Instagram gets hacked,
all your photos get deleted, and then all of a sudden you see these scam photos on your
Instagram where you used to have pictures of your family, your pet, your breakfast. I know people
who've had their social media hacked and it feels like you're being violated, like your privacy
is being invaded. Now imagine that, you know, not just photos of your family and things like that.
Your bank account and then money being taken and things like that. Your identity being stolen. It
can get pretty serious pretty quick. So yes, cyber crime is real and targets not only celebrities and
huge corporations, but people like you and me. Even the most mundane data could be valuable to
a cyber criminal out there. Just think of how much of your life you spend online. I mean me
personally. I'm tweeting all the time I'm posting on instagram both photos and instagram stories of
like day-to-day stuff. And I post YouTube videos. So I'm online most of the day. Then on top of that
I work remotely. So I'm working online, I shop online for the most part and I do financial stuff
online. Besides all of that, we even communicate with thermostats, online doorbells, online
garage door openers - the list goes on and on. That means that there is a ton of data about us
out there in the open. What is worse - many apps are interconnected, so by hacking a single account
criminals can then access the rest. A good VPN service adds a strong security layer by encrypting
your traffic and hiding your IP. Just think of what you store: online account passwords, personal
chats, essential documents, and devices, which we carry around and connect to unsafe Wi-Fi networks.
You'll probably notice as you look around your house that you have a number of devices
that could be hacked, like phones, laptops, even fridges or doorbells. You might not realize it,
but something as small as a smart doorbell or lock could potentially lead to someone hacking it
and then entering your home. Most of us and myself included are connected to social media
networks basically 24/7. And we have a lot of apps running in the background that we might not think
about. And even a tech giant like Facebook has had cyber security incidents. So as you can see,
cyber security is not a futuristic concept, but an essential part to your everyday life. And let's
not forget that as you get more devices, more social networks pop up, that cybercrime is on
the rise and hackers are always looking to exploit cutting-edge technology for their own needs. Every
technological advancement is both an opportunity and also a threat. So that may sound a little
heavy and a little scary, but that's okay. What we really should do is not let the threat-scare
us from doing our best to protect our property. So here are a few tips on how you can strengthen your
online security. Tip number one for your online security. Have a strong password. Think about
your online security this way. You have a castle - all of your data, all your stuff: your instagram
posts, your bank account information - is inside this castle. Do you want a castle with just a wide
open door to all of the things that you value?No. So don't use a password like your first name,
123 and then your birthdate. Your password should be complex. It should have symbols
in it. It should be something that someone can't guess. If you have a complex password,
then you have a castle with a moat in front of it with ferocious alligators, then spikes in front
of that and then a giant wall in front of that. So your castle and your information is much more
secure. You should also use different passwords for different applications. You shouldn't use the
same password everywhere because then that is more vulnerable. For someone to find out one password
and then if it's the same password everywhere then they have the key to all of your castles. If you
have trouble remembering the different passwords that you have, NordVPN has a password manager,
so it will help you memorize and store your passwords for you. A VPN is very essential for
your online cyber security. It will encrypt your traffic and hide your IP, so nobody will be able
to tell what you do online or snoop around your data. NordVPN is one of the best VPNs out there.
You want to avoid free VPN services. They're very likely to collect your data and share it.
The next one seems pretty obvious and that's - use good antivirus software and keep it up to
date regularly. Have the most up-to-date versions as they include the most recent malware in their
databases. Next is - always use common sense when surfing the web. Don't open links or attachments
that you get from people that you don't know well. Some scammers can even use your friends
accounts as an avenue to send you malicious links. If you're ever suspicious about a link,
especially something that your friends sent, ask them if they sent it to you. If they didn't,
then it's probably something that's going to put you at risk. Don't click on dodgy pop-ups or visit
unreliably looking websites. If you have any doubts whatsoever, always do a quick
search on Google. That'll definitely help you out. Your awareness could help you prevent
a social engineering attack when criminals trick users into giving away specific data.
They could use something like an interest of yours that is out in the public online or they could
send you a message from a friend's account. Just knowing such techniques as these will make you
more careful as you browse the web. And we can see awareness is essential to our safety. Maybe you're
visiting a brand new website for the first time or you just signed up for a service that you've just
heard of or you're using an app that's the new hot thing. It's always a good idea to take a look at
their security policy before diving in. It's also good to minimize the usage of non-essential apps
websites or services which will lessen the amount of data that you give away so hopefully. Some of
these tips helped you out and helped you better understand cyber security and why
something like a VPN can help you immensely. Alright guys, that about wraps up this video
on the importance of cyber security and why you should use a VPN. For more videos on online
security subscribe to NordVPN's youtube channel. Thank you guys so much for watching. Stay safe.