Protect your files and memories with simple spring cleaning tips

1 week ago 8

It happens without warning. Suddenly, entree to your idiosyncratic information gets interrupted by a elemental hardware failure, a nasty virus, a cyberattack, a bundle glitch, accidental deletion oregon a quality mistake. It's clearer than ever that our idiosyncratic information is vulnerable.

As an advocator for privateness and information and the exertion down the fashionable CyberGuy Report, which you tin subscribe to for escaped at CyberGuy.com/newsletter, I person ever emphasized the value of idiosyncratic work erstwhile it comes to information security.

My apical proposal for protecting your precious memories, captious documents and the mountains of idiosyncratic information we accumulate is straightforward: utilize a idiosyncratic thrust for backups.

STAY PROTECTED & INFORMED! GET SECURITY ALERTS & EXPERT TECH TIPS — SIGN UP FOR KURT’S THE CYBERGUY REPORT NOW

A pistillate moving connected her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Choosing the close backup tools

Spring is traditionally a clip for cleaning, and this should widen to integer hygiene arsenic well. Each year, I undertake a thorough cleaning of my idiosyncratic data, making definite to backmost up documents, household photos and different irreplaceable items. There's thing rather similar the bid of caput that comes from having a carnal backup, which places power firmly successful your hands, irrespective of whether you usage a Mac, PC oregon adjacent a Chromebook.

A antheral moving connected his laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

BEST LAPTOPS FOR 2025

Backup, unplug past store your portable thrust successful a unafraid place

In summation to regular ongoing backups either connected the unreality oregon different drive, I usage this WD thrust that plugs into your Mac, PC oregon Chromebook arsenic an other transcript of my important information that tin beryllium disconnected and kept successful a harmless spot distant from hackers and different threats.

A antheral moving connected his laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

10 TIPS TO SPEED UP YOUR PC'S PERFORMANCE

What to backup: A integer checklist

When deciding what to backmost up from your computer, it's important to prioritize documents, files, and memories that are important and irreplaceable. Here's a broad database to consider:

1. Personal documents: Include items similar commencement certificates, passports, societal information cards, matrimony certificates, wills and different ineligible documents that could beryllium hard oregon time-consuming to replace.

2. Financial records: This class should screen slope statements, taxation returns, concern records and different fiscal documents that are indispensable for idiosyncratic record-keeping and ineligible compliance.

3. Photos and videos: Family photos, abrogation videos, peculiar events similar weddings oregon graduations and different idiosyncratic memories that cannot beryllium recreated.

4. Work and acquisition documents: If you usage your machine for enactment oregon school, guarantee you backmost up important projects, probe papers, presentations and related correspondence.

5. Emails: Some emails mightiness incorporate important information, agreements oregon attachments that you whitethorn request to notation backmost to. Consider backing up important emails oregon archiving them.

6. Contacts: A backup of your integer code publication tin prevention you a batch of occupation successful lawsuit you suffer entree to your devices.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

7. Music and media collections: For those who cod music, movies and books digitally, backing up these files ensures you don’t suffer your collection.

8. Software and app data: Back up settings and information for apps that you usage frequently, particularly if they assistance negociate your schedule, finances oregon health.

9. Website bookmarks: If you trust connected bookmarks to navigate the net efficiently, backing them up tin prevention clip if you request to reconstruct oregon power to a caller device.

10. Game saves and profiles: If you're a gamer, backing up your crippled saves and profiles tin forestall nonaccomplishment of advancement successful lawsuit of strategy failure.

11. Creative works: Include writings, artwork, plan files, coding projects oregon immoderate different idiosyncratic oregon nonrecreational originative work.

A pistillate looking astatine her telephone portion moving connected her laptop. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Some further steps to see to support your information safe

Adopt the 3-2-1 backup strategy: Ensure you support 3 copies of your data: the original, a backup connected a antithetic instrumentality and a 3rd transcript stored offsite oregon successful the cloud. This attack offers robust extortion against information loss.

Implement two-factor authentication (2FA): Enhance relationship information by enabling 2FA, requiring further verification steps beyond conscionable passwords, thereby reducing unauthorized entree risks.

Regularly update and spot systems: Keep your operating systems and software up to day to code vulnerabilities that cyber threats mightiness exploit.

Use beardown antivirus software: Install a trusted antivirus bundle solution to defender against ransomware, viruses, and malicious attacks that tin compromise your files. Get my picks for the champion 2025 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Update your passwords for amended security: One of the astir important steps successful protecting your information is regularly updating your passwords to forestall unauthorized access. Here’s however to bash it effectively:

Use a password manager — Instead of relying connected memory, usage a trusted password manager similar to make and store analyzable passwords.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) — Add an other furniture of extortion by requiring a secondary verification method, specified arsenic a one-time codification via SMS oregon an authenticator app.
Create unsocial passwords — Avoid reusing passwords crossed aggregate accounts. Each password should beryllium astatine slightest 12 characters agelong and see a premix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Check for compromised passwords — Use services with password breach detection. Some services include a information breach scanner that checks if your stored passwords person been leaked and suggests updates.
Change default router and instrumentality passwords — If you’re inactive utilizing the default login credentials for your Wi-Fi router, astute location devices oregon online accounts, update them instantly to forestall information risks.

Get much details astir my champion expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 here.

By updating passwords on with different spring-cleaning information measures, you importantly trim the hazard of cyber threats and unauthorized entree to your delicate data.

SECURITY KEYS: WHAT ARE THEY AND SHOULD YOU USE ONE?

Kurt’s cardinal takeaways

Taking a fewer minutes to support your information and devices contiguous tin prevention you hours of frustration, heartache and fiscal nonaccomplishment tomorrow. Regular backups and trusted antivirus bundle enactment manus successful manus to shield your integer life. Unplug your backup thrust erstwhile finished and store it successful a harmless spot — it’s a tiny measurement that makes a large difference.

What’s your ‘data disaster’ story, and what lessons did you larn astir integer backups from it? Let america cognize by penning america at Cyberguy.com/Contact

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

For much of my tech tips and information alerts, subscribe to my escaped CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter

Ask Kurt a question oregon fto america cognize what stories you'd similar america to cover.

Alert: Malware steals slope cards and passwords from millions of devices.

Follow Kurt connected his societal channels:

Facebook
YouTube
Instagram

Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:

What is the champion mode to support your Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android devices from getting hacked?
What is the champion mode to enactment private, unafraid and anonymous portion browsing the web?
How tin I get escaped of robocalls with apps and information removal services?
How bash I region my backstage information from the internet?

New from Kurt:

Try CyberGuy's caller games (crosswords, connection searches, trivia and more!)
CyberGuy’s Exclusive Coupons and Deals

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech writer who has a heavy emotion of technology, cogwheel and gadgets that marque beingness amended with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business opening mornings connected "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s escaped CyberGuy Newsletter, stock your voice, a communicative thought oregon remark astatine CyberGuy.com.

Read Entire Article