Cyber Security: Data Leaks On The Internet Possibly Can Be Prevented Through These Four Ways

Cyber security illustration. (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - News about data leaks has surfaced again, at least this weekend there were two cases of alleged data leaks.

There are many factors that can cause data leaks, therefore, experts always ask internet users to be careful when in the digital space.

Alfons Tanujaya, a cybersecurity and digital forensic expert from Vaccines, provides four ways that can be practiced by internet users.

First, users can take advantage of a password manager application to store all account credentials. Applications like this are useful if users have multiple accounts on digital platforms, among others, so that they can remember the password for each account.

Second, Alfons appealed to always turn on the two-factor authentication layered security feature, especially for important accounts.

When turning on the two-factor authentication feature, users will be asked to enter a code when logging in to an account, usually the code is sent to email or SMS.

With this feature, users must go through at least two stages when logging into an account.

The third way, avoid using WiFi that is not known for its security. If forced to use an unknown WiFi, Alfons recommends using a VPN to protect the data transmitted in these activities.

Finally, use a unique password for each account, aka don't use one password for multiple accounts.

"Never use the same password on multiple accounts and use a good combination of passwords," said Alfons as quoted by Antara.

Security firm Hive Systems recommends passwords of at least eight characters to prevent hackers from breaking them, usually consisting of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

Based on their survey, a nine-character password that uses only lowercase letters can be hacked in 10 seconds. A 10-character password that contains uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols could take a hacker five months to crack.

If it's 11 characters with such a combination, the hacker could take up to 34 years.