How to Implement a Personal Data-Protection and Recovery Plan
Data protection involves preventing data loss as well as ensuring that it is not accidentally lost. Businesses implement recovery plans to ensure that their business does not fail if their servers die and take the business's data with them. However, individuals can have personal data-protection and recovery plans as well.
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Things You'll Need
- USB thumb drive, removable disk drive or backup hard drive
- Anti-virus and malicious-software removal tools
- Administrative rights on the computer
Instructions
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Personal Data Protection
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Use a secure password with at least eight characters. Mix characters. Improve security by changing the password periodically and not using a variation of the prior password.
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Turn off computers that will be unused for several days. A system cannot be hacked if it is not active.
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Remove computers from an Internet connection that do not require it. For example, a computer used by children for games and occasional homework should not be connected to the Internet more than is necessary. Worms and other malicious software no longer rely on human actions to spread as viruses did, but they cannot spread without an active connection between computers.
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Turn on the password login feature on personal financial software. Doing this requires administrative rights on the computer. This makes it difficult for a hacker who connects to the computer to open and copy financial account data. It also prevents casual computer users from viewing these files.
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Ensure that anti-malware scans are not run without protective updates that are actually in place and active. To do this, check for updates. Then reboot the computer periodically. After the computer is active again, run virus and malicious-software scans immediately. Software updates for both anti-virus and malicious-software removal tools may not take effect until you've rebooted.
Personal Data-Recovery Plan
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Back up key files like personal address books, financial files and photos often. This can be done with a USB thumb drive, removable disk drive or backup hard drive.
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Verify that the backup files are intact and functional at least once a year. Re-create backup files if they are found to be incompatible or corrupted.
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Store a copy of critical personal files like tax returns, scanned copies of legal documents, and password files at a secure location far from home. This could be a bank's safety deposit box or a locked fireproof box at a relative's home. If your home is lost, your data is not lost with it.
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Pay ahead if you use online backup services. Make sure that a disruption in your life like a fire or forced relocation after a disaster does not cause your file backup to be wiped due to a missed payment.
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Tips & Warnings
Set up an administrative-level account for your computer. Set up the remaining profiles so that nobody else can install software. This will keep anyone else using the the computer from downloading and installing infected software.
Consider using backup software tools built into your computer's operating system before paying for additional services.
Never use the same password on all accounts. This compromises its value. Use a different password for your computer log-on and for any secured software applications like email.
If you use an online backup and data-recovery service, make sure you have a strong Internet connection when uploading and downloading your data. If the connection is poor, not all data may be transmitted clearly or correctly.
References
Resources
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