ABOUT THIS EPISODE
From having a Virtual Private Network to taking extra measures with two-factor authentication, one might think that I’m a bit paranoid about security. I’m sure it’s pretty obvious since some of my advice in previous episodes has been teetering on the edge of saying to never trust anyone outside of your immediate circle ever again.
It may sound like that, but what I’m suggesting is that people do take some measures to better secure themselves. To have some level of paranoia can provide some distinct benefits in terms of cybersecurity.
For one, the Internet is massive and has provided all kinds of opportunities. Some of them are good, but in some cases it’s really bad. As I’ve said before there have been countless breaches and all kinds of information is placed at risk as a result of those breaches. A lot of people’s virtual identities have been demolished due to people and companies disregards to privacy or exercising security measures.
Second, while being paranoid is often seen as a negative thing, the idea of being a little paranoid can keep you on edge. And that level of uncomfortableness can pay off drastically.
Yes, it’s not seen as a good state of mind on the surface, but it can help you to exercise caution and take measures into your own hand. It’s why I recently talked about why it’s worth seriously considering other more advanced security measures. After all, there is a good chance that even secure sites will get breached and you’ll need to find ways to protect yourself.
The final argument I have for why paranoia helps us is that it’s another security measure in of itself. As I’ve suggested above, being cautious of things around us will push us to be more proactive. We will consider advice like tightening up our security further rather than brush it off. In a sense this also changes our overall approach to relationships. We place barriers up and in a sense that can enhance relationships as it takes more effort for us to trust people.
My point is that while paranoia can be blown out of proportion, having some of it in our lives can help us in many cases. It forces us to look at our security, but also the relationships that we have. We can assess the quality of certain measures and have second thoughts on our actions and who we trust.
So stay paranoid, it may come in handy sometime.
