Cyber Security threats are real and evolving every day. When we think of new ways to protect ourselves, hackers are already onto the next way to get your information. Everyone is a target and nobody is safe from the threat of “Cyber Attacks”. The good news is that we are also evolving with ways to protect ourselves from most known threats. As users of email and the internet we have begun to realize the most obvious of phishing scams and bad links. Tools like spam-guards, link verification, and Multifactor Authentication have made us a little safer, but we still have a long way to go if we can ever feel completely safe.
The Fact is, we will never be 100% immune to Cyber Attacks and there will always be vulnerabilities due to user error or software security bugs.
Here is a short list of things you can do to protect yourself
- Use/Implement Multi-factor Authentication (MFA). You know, that annoying feature that makes you receive a text and enter a code when you haven’t visited a site in a while or are visiting from a new device. The minor annoyance is well worth the protection your receive.
- Update your software programs as often as updates are provided. Turning on Automatic updates is a good option so you don’t need to manually check for updates. Attackers are always finding a way in and updates contain patches to fix issues that are found by attempted Cyber Attacks
- Use stronger passwords than requested. If the site asks for 8 Characters make it 12, and use a combination of all valid text, numbers, and special characters. (ie. bESt%CyBeR#SecuRITy@Practice$)
- DON’T CLICK on links you don’t know and DON’T SHARE emails with suspected links in them. Advise co-workers immediately if you receive an email that seems suspicious, because chances are that an attacker sent it to all the emails in your entire domain.
- GET CYBER SECURITY INSURANCE. No matter how careful we are or how many types of precautions we take, there is still the possibility of being successfully hacked. Cyber Security Insurance is the last line of defense between you and a major life altering catastrophe.
It is strongly recommended that you purchase Cyber Security Coverage before it’s too late!
For more information and resources please see the list below
https://www.fcc.gov/communications-business-opportunities/cybersecurity-small-businesses
https://www.nist.gov/blogs/manufacturing-innovation-blog/how-protect-your-business-cyber-attacks
https://www.secureworks.com/blog/cybersecurity-awareness-training-best-practices