In the past, file sharing used to be groundbreaking technology. But cloud storage solutions to share large files across the miles became a regular occurrence. It is now widely used for schools, businesses, and organizations that work remotely with each other. But some people are still not comfortable doing document sharing online. They worry about the possibilities of unknowingly giving access to unauthorized persons. It may also trigger viruses, spyware, or malware while you are downloading a shared file. To avoid these risks, here are the proper ways for safe file sharing.
Learn How to Spot A Phish
A recent report claimed that an average netizen receives a total of 16 malicious emails every month. These are what you call phishing emails. Unsurprisingly, these emails have become more convincing by replicating the look and language used by established companies like banks, government agencies, and universities. These malicious emails may have infected attachments to gain access to your sensitive files. To prevent phishing emails, you need to know how to avoid browsing through fraudulent sites. You can avoid this by hovering over the links in the content before you click on it. If the URL does not match with the site that you are expecting, then refrain from clicking it. You also need to avoid opening emails from someone you do not know or from an unrecognized sender.
Use More Secure Passwords
When signing up for document sharing sites, you need to make sure that no one can guess what your password is. You can make sure that your information will remain safe by coming up with a complex password. Some of the tips for file sharing for this include composing a password that has 12 to 15 characters containing various letters, numbers, and special symbols. You must also avoid using words that you can find in the dictionary, common names, places, and email addresses. If you think that you will have a hard time remembering this password, write down a password hint and hide it in a safe place.
Always Use A Secure Connection
Using a secure connection is very important when sharing essential documents. If you do not use a secure connection, the space that you are using is not encrypted. In case this happens, your data is at risk of being accessed even by the budding hackers. Because of this, it is very critical for you and your colleagues to use a secure connection, especially if you work remotely with each other.
Avoid Using USB As Much As Possible
While you can consider USBs as a beneficial tool in transferring files from different devices, there are risks involved in this method. First, it is usually easy to lose a USB device. You might leave it lying on a desk or plugged in a computer port. If the device contains highly sensitive information, you might compromise the security of your company.
Aside from that, you may also lose the data if someone accidentally deleted the contents of the USB device. Also, USBs are notorious for acquiring various computer infections like viruses, malware, and spyware. It can spread the virus when plugged into other devices. If you need to use this file storage device, you need to scan it with an anti-virus tool or an anti-spyware before you start opening the files it contains.
Protecting your files when document sharing is very crucial for the security of your organization. If you follow these tips for file sharing correctly, you may lessen your risks of encountering multiple problems for your group, like letting illegal access to the documents. It will also save you time and resources if all the files are kept within your team. If you have tried everything, this website might be a good idea; just get rid of the machine.