We hear more and more often about cyberwar (or cyber warfare) as the war of the future; in this new generation war, bullets are the bits that pass between one computer and another and between one network and another, with the two warring factions trying to weaken the opponent with targeted cyber attacks or tools of espionage so advanced that it can spy on any computer.
What can we do in practice to protect ourselves from cyber attacks carried out during a cyberwar? How can we protect our computers and network connections in the event of large-scale cyberattack?
In the guide that follows we will show you the best systems to implement on our devices for protect yourself from cyberwarfare and avoid cyber attacks. In most cases, hackers working for war will be too skilled to be stopped for long, but if we really have to give in better equip ourselves with a secure computerupdated and with numerous security tools to bypass.
READ ALSO -> What is the Antivirus used for and when it is not enough
Enable device encryption
Encryption can be activated on all modern PCs, smartphones and tablets, in order to protect the internal memory or the system disk in case of theft or loss. This is probably the first step you should always take, as many cyber attacks on systems are carried out after taking physical possession of company computers or computers associated with executives and system administrators.
To activate encryption on Windows 11, right-click on the Start menu, press the menu Settingsclick on the menu Privacy and securitywe select the menu Device encryption and turn on the switch next to the item Device encryption.
On Windows 10 we can activate encryption by taking us to the path Control Panel -> System and Security -> BitLocker Drive Encryption and pressing on the item Enable BitLocker; this menu is only available on the Pro and Enterprise versions of the operating system, as also seen in the guide on how to activate Bitlocker on Windows.
On iMac Pro or Macs equipped with T2 chip (released after 2020), the data on the drive is already encoded automatically; if we have other types of Mac or we want to check if the encryption is active let’s take the path Apple -> System Preferenceswe press on Security and Privacyclick FileVaultwe provide the administrator permissions by pressing the lock icon and finally activate the voice Enable FileVault.
On Android devices we can activate encryption by opening the Settings app and taking us to the menu Safety or, on Xiaomi phones, taking us on the path Password and Security -> Privacy -> Advanced. After identifying the right path, press on Encrypt phone and make sure to activate the encryption of the device. To learn more we can read the guide on how activate Android encryption.
IPhones are encrypted by default, without any user intervention: it is therefore sufficient to associate an Apple ID and use the phone to immediately have active encryption on your device.
Enable two-factor authentication
For all the accounts we use online, it is advisable to activate as soon as possible two-factor authenticationalways using a strong and secure authentication app like the one offered by Microsoft Authenticator (available for Android and for iPhone).
If possible, we avoid using two-factor authentication via SMS (except as a backup or emergency system), since it is sensitive to SIM Swap attacks.
To enable two-factor authentication on any account (including those for logging into Windows, Microsoft, Google and Apple) we recommend that you read our guides to sites and apps where you can activate two-step password verification and how log in with double password on Facebook, Google, Amazon and other services.
Use a secure password manager
Our passwords to access sites and services should not be saved in the browser, since these are the first to be exposed to threats and data theft. We therefore deactivate the saving of passwords on the browsers we use and rely on a secure cloud password manager such as Bitwardenwhich can be installed as an extension on all browsers and available as an app for Android and iPhone.
If we don’t want to use a cloud-based password manager we can create our own password management service by installing KeePass on PC or Mac and synchronizing the online database, as seen in our guide on how to save passwords on personal cloud.
Activate a VPN when you browse online
If our network is under cyber attack, we often use unknown Wi-Fi networks or browse from hotspots around the city Always activate a VPN connection to encrypt the data in transit on our PC and make our connection anonymous. Those who want to take advantage of a free VPN service for protection can try ProtonVPNwhich offers completely free and unlimited servers.
If we are looking for a higher level of connection protection we will inevitably have to focus on premium paid VPN services such as NordVPN o CyberGhostas seen in our guide to best subscription for VPN.
On the same topic we can read our guides to best VPNs for android, free and unlimited iPhones and at best free VPNs for safe surfing from PCs and smartphones.
Constantly update the operating system and apps
In order to resist a cyber attack it is essential to always keep the operating systems and the most used apps for navigation (such as browsers) updated. Only by keeping everything updated can we increase our chances of resisting an attack, especially if we have already followed all the advice set out in the previous chapters.
To keep the operating systems up to date, please read the guides on how fix Windows Update errors if the system does not updatehow to do automatic Mac updates, how to update android e how to keep an iPhone up to date.
To update applications on PC we can read our guide on how download Updates of programs, apps and software installed on your PC.
Conclusions
In the event of cyber warfare and cyber attacks throughout the national territory we can avoid harming our computer or infecting ourselves with dangerous malware activating all the protections seen in this guide. They probably won’t stop an experienced hacker, but we will last long enough to be able to disconnect our computer and avoid further cyber attacks.
To increase the security of our Windows computer we can also read our guides to best free comprehensive and free security and protection suites and to best combination of programs to protect your computer.