More and more our lives are linked to computers and mobile devices. Are you prepared for a catastrophe? I am referring to the loss of data due to accident, theft or carelessness.
In this article we are going to review a series of procedures and programs to avoid or at least minimize these risks.
Are you prepared for a catastrophe?
As users we can suffer two types of risks
- Risks related to the use of the software.
- Risks related to the use of hardware
Risks related to the use of the software
- Malware: Malware, which also includes viruses, Trojans and ransomware, is software with malicious purposes that can infect our devices and steal personal data. It spreads via scam links, files downloaded from untrustworthy sources and scam websites.
- Phishing: These are scams that are usually carried out through emails or text messages that are designed to steal personal information and login data. Users are usually invited to enter fake websites that copy those of legitimate companies.
- Network failures: Cybercriminals often take advantage of vulnerabilities in routers and home WiFi networks to infiltrate connected devices.
- Piracy: The use of software, applications or multimedia files obtained through unauthorized means can be dangerous, since they often include hidden programs that compromise the security of the device.
- Not installing updates: The lack of habit of uninstalling important security updates for the operating system and applications is the reason why vulnerabilities that attackers will exploit are not patched.
- Weak Passwords: Passwords that are easy to guess facilitate unauthorized access to accounts and personal information stored on devices and the cloud.
Ya we've talked how to protect yourself from the risks associated with using the software.
Risks associated with the use of hardware
- Liquid Damage: I have ruined several keyboards by spilling coffee on them. Spilling any liquid can damage important internal components and create appliance failure.
- Battery Wear: The passage of time causes batteries to wear out. This produces a shorter charge life which can result in unscheduled shutdowns and overheating.
- Screen Breakage: Screens are exposed to falls and bumps, especially on mobile devices. Above all, in touch devices this can cause cracks or breaks in the glass making use impossible or limiting.
- Dust and Dirt: They can affect the behavior of the internal components and cause overheating.
- Mechanical Wear: Frequent use, connecting and disconnecting wears out the ports, buttons and switches, I HATE THE MICROUSB PORT!! Together with the MicroSD card, they are the worst inventions in history.
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- Electromagnetic interference: Electromagnetic waves emitted by nearby devices can alter the operation of our devices.
- Planned obsolescence: Whether due to hardware wear or imposition by software developers, there comes a time when the device can no longer be used.
What can we do in the event of a disaster?
In this case it is best to have a plan for the worst. Of course there are preventive measures such as cleaning our equipment such as not having liquids near the computer, changing the battery (On devices that still allow it to be done), using padded cases and covers or disconnecting and connecting carefully. However, the end of the useful life of our devices is inexorable and therefore we have to be prepared.
The best measure is to have copies of our sensitive data in several places. The second is to have a kit of open source programs that can get us out of more than one trouble. they are
- Ventoy: a creator of boot disks that allows you to store multiple images with just drag and drop.
- SuperGrubDisk: It is a bootloader which from a pendrive allows you to log in to the operating systems installed on your disk.
- Boot-Repair-Disk: On this case We have a bootloader repair tool that works in live mode. It works with both Linux and Windows.
- Gparted: The GNOME Partition Editor tAlso executed in live mode that allows you to repair damaged parts of the disk and resize and create new partitions.
- Rescue: Distribution based on Debian with a set of tools to fix boot problems, change passwords and solve various problems on Windows and Linux.