Skip to main content

Hacker ranks explode — here’s how you can protect yourself

The number of people that have hacking skills has exploded recently but it’s still possible to protect yourself against almost all attacks, according to Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense Report.

Microsoft has among the most complete collections of cybersecurity data compiled from Windows computers around the world and has analyzed that information to uncover some interesting insights for 2022. Something immediately obvious from the report is the threat from phishing attacks and ransomware is growing rapidly and at the same time becoming more sophisticated but you can still protect yourself.

A phenomenon known as hacktivism is responsible for readily available resources that enable anyone to gain the basic skills needed to launch a cyberattack. While the idea of hacking for good causes might be well-intentioned, the end result is that information is now easily accessible to anyone to use for any purpose. This has led to issues such as a 74% increase in password attacks, which equates to a mind-boggling 921 attempts every second.

The good news is that the most basic cybersecurity protections have been found to be sufficient to protect against 98% of these hacking attempts. The first and most obvious recommendation is to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) in all of your most important accounts. Your smartphone can be used as a way to identify that it is actually you logging in, making it significantly harder for a hacker to gain access to your computer, even if they know your password and your answers to security questions.

Additional steps that you should take include using antivirus software and keeping your computer’s operating system and apps updated with security patches. Microsoft also reminded businesses to do their part by applying Zero Trust principles and strongly protecting data. Zero Trust works just like it sounds, assuming nothing and trusting no one until they authenticate.

Microsoft’s 2022 Digital Defense highlights how intensive and widespread hacking has become and helps to explain the rigorous cybersecurity that we are all burdened with these days. As challenging as it might seem to follow logins with authentication, it is much easier than struggling to recover your data after being hacked. Preventing attacks with good security and vigilance is the best approach.

Editors' Recommendations

Alan Truly
Computing Writer
Alan is a Computing Writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada. A tech-enthusiast since his youth, Alan stays current on what is…
Best router deals: Save on mesh networks and Wi-Fi 6 routers
The Netgear Nighthawk AXE11000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router on a table.

Strangely enough, routers have had a huge technological bump in the last few years due to the number of devices that need to be connected to the internet. That's one of the main aspects of the new Wi-Fi 6, a standard that not only increases speeds and quality of the connection but addresses the issue with ten devices or more needing to connect to the internet constantly without impacting quality. To that end, if you haven't upgraded your router or mesh network in three to five or more years but are increasingly buying more smart-home products, grabbing a modern router with the latest technology is probably a good idea.

Best Router Deals

Read more
Intel says AMD’s Ryzen 7000 is snake oil
AMD CEO Lisa Su holding an APU chip.

In what is one of the most bizarrely aggressive pieces of marketing material I've seen, Intel is comparing AMD's Ryzen 7000 mobile chips to snake oil. Over the weekend, Intel posted its Core Truths playbook, which lays out how AMD's mobile processor naming scheme misleads customers.

There's an element of truth to that, which I'll get to in a moment, but first, the playbook. Intel starts with claiming that there's a "long history of selling half-truths to unsuspecting customers" alongside images of a snake oil salesman and a suspicious used car seller. This sets up a comparison between the Ryzen 5 7520U and the Core i5-1335U. Intel's chip is 83% faster, according to the presentation, due to the older architecture that AMD's part uses.

Read more
Don’t miss these deals on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro
A model poses with a Meta Quest Pro over a colorful background.

Meta isn’t just the parent company of Facebook, it’s also become a pioneer in the new wave of virtual reality. It has a lineup of virtual reality headsets to shop, and a couple of them are seeing deals today. Both the Meta Quest 2 and the Meta Quest Pro have their price dropped at Best Buy, with the more affordable Quest 2 seeing a sale price of $250 and the high-end Quest Pro discounted to $924. Best Buy is including free shipping with a purchase of either VR headset.
Meta Quest 2 VR headset — $250, was $300

The Meta Quest 2 isn’t the newest Meta Quest on the market, but it holds up really well when it comes to offering an immersive virtual experience. It has a super fast process and a high resolution display, both of which manage to handle the strains of virtual reality processing. The experience remains seamless and smooth even with more current software. If you want something brand new, the Meta Quest 3 is on the market, but both the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 2 offer total immersion with 3D positional audio, hand tracking, and haptic feedback that makes virtual worlds feel real. With the Meta Quest 2 you can explore more than 250 software titles across categories like gaming, fitness, socials and entertainment.

Read more