Make sure that you regularly make offline back-ups of all of your computers, phones, or other devices. Disconnect them backups—both virtually and physically—from your main systems. Use high-quality antivirus and anti-malware software appropriate to your devices and make sure to enable automatic updates on them. Make sure your devices have the latest operating software updates […]

Once a hacker gets access to your computer, they can look at your personal files and copy them onto their own computer. Most hackers are thieves, so if you’ve got a folder on your desktop with all of your passwords, bank routing numbers and credit card details, you’ve made it easier for them to steal […]

When you’re traveling—whether domestic or international—it is always important to practice safe online behavior and take proactive steps to secure Internet-enabled devices. Back up your contacts, financial data, photos, videos, and other mobile device data to another device or cloud service in case your device is compromised and you have to reset it to factory […]

Hard disk drives eventually fail, especially if they’re heavily used. If you have been using the same drive for 4 or more years on a PC, consider replacing or moving on to another device to avoid any unexpected failure. Also be sure to backup everything before switching, either to an external drive or a cloud-based […]

If you have photos, documents and other data that you don’t want to lose, you should distribute it across multiple locations. Consider using local backup options like external HDDs with cloud-based services to diversify where your data lives and avoid creating a single point of failure.

Viruses and malware can compromise your devices and result in data loss. To keep your photos safe, consider using a combination of online backup and local media. For example, you might pair Google Photos with an external hard drive so that you have multiple backups in case something goes wrong with any one of them.