Journalists are a treasure trove of
data and essential information.
At any chosen time, they will have
several leads they are pursuing and documentation of the progress made on every
front. This is information that must not be compromised or leaked lest the
investigation is killed before it has gotten anywhere at all.
To do this, and stay safe as a
journalist, will be to get intimated with cybersecurity tips. Of course, you
don’t work in IT, but the world we now live in calls for watching your
cyber-back.
1 Install a VPN
A VPN can be used to do a lot of
things.
The software can help you change
your location at will, bypass geo-blocking attempts, and more. In this case,
though, you need a VPN to ensure the security of your communications.
Basic internet networks are lacking
in encryption. This means that anyone with the right tools can snoop around
your internet data and see what you are doing on the system. This also gives
them access to your computer, so much that they can hijack your conversations.
However, when you secure your
internet traffic with a VPN, all your data is encrypted, even to your ISP.
2 Get a Secure Browser
Your choice of internet browser is
equally something worth considering.
A lot of browsers in the market do
not protect you against browser fingerprinting techniques, cookie
tracking, and more. When your browser is not privacy-focused, you face the risk
of exposing yourself/ sensitive data to anyone that can hack into such
browsers.
Consider browsers like the Apple
Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Tor, and Brave browser.
For a comprehensive security
package, layer your browser connection over a VPN for improved encryption of
your data.
3 Password Manager
Depending on the kind of platforms
you use, chances are you have a lot of online accounts. Maybe even more than
the average internet user.
We believe that you know the
importance of setting strong and secure passwords for each one of those
accounts.
The good news is that these
password managers usually come with a password generator too. The better news
is that they come up with some of the passwords that are almost impossible to
crack.
That said, it would be almost
impossible to remember all of the secure passwords you have created for all of
those accounts. That is where the password manager comes in to take the
pressure off of you.
4 Antivirus software
We are sorry it took us this long
to mention this tool, but that doesn't make it any less critical.
You might find out hackers sending
you malware in the form of files to download. This
can be disguised as a leak, relevant information to a lead you are chasing, or
anything else that will catch your fancy.
This is why we recommend that you
never download unsolicited attachments, especially when they are from
untrustworthy sources. If you must download them, though, make sure to have run
it through your antivirus software first.
Fortunately, you can link the antivirus
software to your mail service provider and some other apps too. That way, you
can ensure total protection within other apps also.
5 Secure sharing
You share files a lot – and that is
a fact.
With the proper protections in
place, files on your computer will be well insulated against attacks from the
outside. However, data in motion have a very fragile security protocol around
them sometimes. This might make it easy for a hacker to hijack those files for
themselves.
For better file sharing, we
recommend using secure file sharing platforms on the internet.
No, we are not talking about the
likes of Dropbox. After all, these companies state in their terms and
conditions that they have the right to see what you store on them.
Instead, go for highly secure picks
like SecureDrop, OnionShare, etc.
Jack is an
accomplished cybersecurity expert with years of experience under his belt at
TechWarn, a trusted digital agency to world-class cyber security companies. A
passionate digital safety advocate himself and guest writer for SANJU BLOG, Jack frequently contributes to tech
blogs and digital media sharing expert insights on topics such as
whistleblowing and cyber security tools.
