Cookies. Cakes. Pies. Brownies. All fantastic treats to have during the holidays. But do you know what the most satisfying dish to make is? Strong Cybersecurity!
Let’s go over what you’ll need and the steps you’ll need to take to have a truly cyber-safe digital presence!
Ingredients:
- Computer, laptop, tablet, phone, or some other device that connects to the Internet
- 1x Continuous Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program
- 1x Password Manager
- 1x Multi-Factor Authentication App
- 1x Dark Web Monitoring Service
- 1x Virtual Private Network (VPN)
- 1x Spam Filter
- 1x Incident Response Plan
Steps:
- Human beings are the weakest link in any organization’s digital security system. People make mistakes, forget things, or fall for fraudulent practices. That’s where cyber security awareness training comes in. Every week, month, or quarter, make sure to watch or read your training content and take quizzes to keep the most current cybersecurity tips fresh in your mind.
- Make your passwords or passphrases extra-long, complex, and unique (NEVER repeat a password, or it will ruin the dish). If you don’t think you’ll be able to remember all of them, use a password manager. That way, you’ll only have to remember one master passphrase (make sure that one’s a good one), and it will do the rest. It even provides you with unique passwords.
- Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication on all your accounts. This will force potential hackers to provide a second form of identification (usually a six-digit code) to access your accounts.
- Pay attention to your Dark Web Monitoring alerts. If you see that your password, username, or email has been found on the dark web, that means cybercriminals may try to use it to break into your accounts. Change them immediately! Contact the proper authorities if you see that an unchangeable (or harder to change) piece of personally identifiable information (PII), like a phone number, address, or SSN, has been found.
- Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) when in public or at all times. Cybercriminals use public wi-fi to try to break into your devices and infect them with malware. Having a VPN on your devices will keep them from being able to do this.
- Email filters can help detect spam, viruses, and malware before they land in your mailbox, and they’re a vital part of cybersecurity. Email filters analyze emails for common red flags. If the filter detects red flags, the email is separated into a spam folder. Common signs of spam emails include bad IP addresses, poor domain reputations, bulk emails, suspicious language, and bad links or attachments.
- An incident response plan is a set of written instructions outlining your organization's response to data breaches, leaks, cyber-attacks, and security incidents. Incident response planning is essential because it outlines how to minimize the duration and damage of security incidents, identifies stakeholders, streamlines digital forensics, improves recovery time, and reduces negative publicity and customer churn.
Click here to schedule a brief 15-minute call, or call us at 562-553-3466 to discuss your situation, needs, and concerns or if you need help finding the right tools. If appropriate, we can conduct a simple security assessment for free to know if your business and data are safe.
