October is cybersecurity awareness month, so we thought we would share some useful tips and tricks to help you maintain a safer online presence. These suggestions are helpful for not only your business, but for your own personal safety. With hackers constantly making the news by attacking large corporations, like MGM casinos, there’s really no downside to learning more ways to protect yourself. Follow these simple tips to save yourself time, money, and peace of mind.
Be Aware of Phishing
One of the most common techniques hackers use to access your data is a strategy called phishing. Phishing is the process of creating a fake email that appears to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank, government agency, or a well-known company. These emails often contain urgent messages and ask you to click on a link or provide personal information. However, this is an elaborate method to trick you into typing in personal information.
To stay safe from phishing attacks always double-check the sender’s email address, avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails, and be cautious of emails that create a sense of urgency. Additionally, you could set up multifactored authentication to provide an additional layer of security for your accounts and devices.
Use Different, Secure Passwords
One of the simplest, yet most effective ways to maintain online safety is to use different, complex passwords for all of your online accounts. Ensure that your passwords are complex by including a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Also try and avoid using easily guessable information, such as common words, phrases, or any personal information easily accessible on your social media.
Use Caution When Posting
As mentioned before, try to limit the amount of personal information you post online. The internet is a public resource, so remember that anyone anywhere can see what you decide to upload. A random stranger sending you a friend request could actually be a hacker attempting to gain access to your information, so take caution if you choose to accept. Most platforms have robust privacy settings, limiting who can view what on your accounts, so taking advantage of that could be beneficial in the future.
Consider Using Encryption
Using an encryption service allows you to have peace of mind if your personal or work devices are lost or stolen. By using this service, you can ensure that cybercriminals won’t be able to read your information without access to a specific encryption key. SWK’s encryption services and solutions will help you secure your communications as well as give you the ability to shut off access to breached devices promptly.
Look into Data Backup and Recovery
Backing up your data helps protect it from various threats including cyberattacks, hardware failures, and human errors. In case of data loss, having backups ensures that you can recover critical information, saving you time and stress. Data backup is considered one of the essential cybersecurity best practices, as it is part of a layered security approach that includes prevention, detection, and recovery strategies. For more information about data backup and recovery, click here.
Contact SWK Today
By utilizing some of, if not all of these cybersecurity practices, you can ensure that your personal information stays out of the wrong hands. SWK has decades of experience fighting back against hackers, helping businesses implement strategies like encryption, multifactored authentication, and security awareness training. To see a more in-depth list of cybersecurity best practices, check out this helpful PDF. If you have any questions, or would just like to set up a quick call, make sure to contact us today and learn how you can protect yourself and your business.