October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and as such we are helping businesses and individuals stay safe online. Cybersecurity threats are everywhere all year round, whether you’re running a business or just browsing the web. Let’s dive into some detailed strategies to keep your digital life secure and hassle-free.
1. Stay Smart: Train Yourself and Your Team
Knowledge is your strongest defence. Start by educating yourself and your team on common cyber threats like phishing. Phishing emails often appear genuine, mimicking trusted companies or even colleagues, tricking you into giving away personal or business information.
- Phishing Simulation: Consider running phishing simulations to train employees to recognize suspicious emails.
- Regular Updates: Hold monthly or quarterly training sessions on the latest scams and best cybersecurity practices to keep your team alert and informed.
2. Update Software Regularly
Software updates are critical for keeping your systems secure. Each update typically contains patches that fix security vulnerabilities.
- Automate Updates: Enable automatic updates for your operating systems and applications to avoid missing important patches.
- Patch Management: Use a patch management tool to track and install updates across multiple devices in your network.
3. Lock Up with Strong Passwords
A strong password is your first line of defence against unauthorised access. Weak passwords are an easy way in for hackers.
- Password Guidelines: Create passwords that are at least 12 characters long, using a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols. Passphrases used a combination of discrete works and are usually 12-32 characters in length. Passphrases are harder for cybercriminals to hack. Make sure that passwords or phases are not used across multiple applications.
- Password Manager: Use a password manager to generate and securely store unique, strong passwords for each account, reducing the risk of reuse or forgetting complex combinations.
4. Add Extra Locks with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) ensures that even if someone gets your password, they can’t access your accounts without an additional verification method.
- Enable MFA Everywhere: Activate MFA on all accounts that support it, including emails, bank accounts, and business applications. It could be a one-time code sent to your phone or a biometric scan such as a fingerprint or face scan.
- Hardware Tokens: For an added layer of security, consider using hardware tokens as an additional method of authentication. This will ensure that the application or programme can only be accessed for a specific device.
5. Back Up Your Data
Data loss can happen unexpectedly due to cyberattacks, accidental deletions, or hardware failure. Remember that this could happen to personal devices as well as business devices, putting family photos and cherished memories at risk. Regular backups ensure that your data is never lost for good.
- 3-2-1 Rule: Keep three copies of your data: two on different storage devices (like external hard drives) and one offsite (cloud storage). This ensures redundancy in case one backup fails.
- Schedule Automatic Backups: Set up automatic backups at least once a day to keep your information up to date.
6. Fortify Your Network
Your network is the central highway for all your data. Unsecured networks are prime targets for cybercriminals.
- Firewalls: Install and configure firewalls to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking suspicious activity.
- Secure Wi-Fi: Use WPA3 encryption for your Wi-Fi networks and ensure you’re using strong, complex passwords. Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive tasks like banking or business logins.
7. Control Access
Not everyone in your organisation needs access to all information. Limiting access reduces the risk of accidental data leaks or insider threats.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Set permissions based on roles within your organization. For example, an employee in accounting doesn’t need access to your development environment.
- Regular Reviews: Periodically review access rights and ensure permissions from former employees have been revoked or adjust access as roles change.
8. Review Your Digital Footprint
Your digital footprint consists of all the information that’s publicly available about you or your business online. High profile activity and excessive online exposure can make you a target.
- Google Yourself: Regularly search your name or your business online to see what information is publicly available. Remove or request removal of any data you don’t want shared.
- Review Social Media: Adjust privacy settings on your social media platforms to control who can view your posts and personal information.
9. Prepare for the Worst
Even with the best defences, cyber incidents can still happen. Being prepared ensures that you can react quickly and minimize damage.
- Incident Response Plan (IRP): Develop a clear plan outlining how to respond to different types of cyber incidents (e.g., data breach, ransomware). Include who to contact, how to isolate the threat, and communication strategies.
- Regular Drills: Simulate cyber incidents within your organization to test the readiness of your team and identify any gaps in your response plan.
10. Stay Updated
The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving, with new scams, vulnerabilities, and attacks emerging daily.
- Follow Cybersecurity News: Subscribe to cybersecurity newsletters, such as the ITUS Secure blog or follow us on LinkedIn or X for updates on current threats and best practices.
- Ongoing Learning: Stay involved with cybersecurity communities and continue educating yourself on emerging risks. Encourage your team to do the same.
Cybersecurity is an ongoing journey, not a one-time fix. At ITUS Secure, we’re here to help. Sign up to our email list during Cybersecurity Awareness Month for critical information tailored to SMBs.