Security Inside

I don’t use
public Wi-Fi

Why this cyber threat expert does what most
people don’t bother to do

figures

Kaspersky’s
position
on cybersecurity

At Kaspersky, Vladislav Tushkanov analyzes cyber threats. That’s why he is well aware of how online crime is carried out. Take a look at how Vladislav protects his own security, and compare it with what you do.

POINT 1

The first and the simplest thing is to
protect your smartphone

While the smartphone is locked, I don’t get any notifications on the sleep screen. In order to unlock my smartphone, I need to pass identification.

Data encryption is switched on in the smartphone settings. If intruders manage to get something out of it, it will be a problem for them to read the encrypted information.

I am well aware of how to behave online securely, but I have installed an antivirus anyway. It will also help me disable the smartphone remotely in case it is stolen or lost.

POINT 2

I don’t connect to the internet directly
in suspicious places

I try not to use public Wi-Fi, but if there is such a need and there are no other options, I connect via VPN. The security of the connection used to link the smartphone to the world is no less essential than password security.

I shop online with my credit card or perform online bank operations only at home or at our office, where I’m confident of the network security, and where no strangers can see my PIN codes.

Someone who works
in cyber security
and doesn’t use security
solutions is like
a dentist who doesn’t
brush their teeth.

Vladislav Tushkanov Expert at Kaspersky

POINT 3

I don’t share information about myself

When I’m asked to send my passport data – or a scan of it – by email or via a messenger (for example, to book tickets), I always refuse to do so. This is a sign that the requester’s procedures for handling and storing personal data are a mess. You can share your passport information only if you trust the service completely and understand how it will be used. It’s also important to make sure that the service uses a protected connection.

If an app requests access to personal data that is not part of its function, I simply uninstall it. Once, I had to get rid of a smartphone in which an undeletable default weather app started requesting access to my phone calls.

I install only the most necessary apps, in order to minimize collection of personal data: popular services almost always have a web version.

In order to avoid someone spying on me through the websites I visit, I’ve turned on data collection protection in my antivirus software.

POINT 4

The most critical thing is accounts on platforms

What should be particularly well protected are accounts on such platforms as Google and Facebook, which may be used to authorize other services.

The account on the platform used by my smartphone (for example, for iPhone it’s Apple ID) and my personal email are protected by complicated passwords and two-factor authentication.

All my social media accounts also have complicated passwords. In order to avoid writing them down, remembering them and wasting time on entering them, I have installed a reliable password manager.