Cybercrime is not a new concept. In fact, cybercrime has actually been around since the early 1980s. However, the cybercrime industry continues to grow larger and more sophisticated every day. No longer are we safe by ignoring emails from "Egyptian princes." Truly being safe from cybercrime today can cost businesses thousands of dollars, and even then, purchasing cyber insurance is a good idea. Luckily, there are some quick things that can be done to mitigate part of a company or individual's cyber risk.
- Multi-Factor Authentication. Add Two-Factor-Authentication/Multi-Factor-Authentication (MFA) to anything and everything that you do not want other people breaking into. By implementing MFA, you will be asked to enter a randomly generated when logging into an account. You probably have this set up on your bank account, but did you know that you can set it up on almost everything else that you have access to? This can be set up as a text message, phone number, or code that changes every 60 seconds on an app, depending on the account.
- Update Software. It's easy to hit "restart later" or "install later" every time a notification pops up that it is time to update your software. However, there are a few reasons that you want to allow these updates as soon as possible. First, updates tend to include important security patches that help to mitigate attacks. Any time a software company is informed of a hole in their system that a hacker got in through, an update is made to mend those holes. Another reason it's important to install these patches as soon as possible is that they build up over time, meaning that the time that it takes to restart your computer and allow the updates is growing.
- Double Check Email Links. More than 90% of cyber attacks begin when someone clicks a bad link in an email. Check to make sure that the link is good before clicking on it. Then check again. If you have employees, make sure that they obtain the proper training on phishing. When in doubt, call or otherwise connect with the person that sent you the email to ensure that the link is good. *NOTE: Do NOT reply to the sender. Instead, create a new email thread, as the email address could be spoofed.
- Use Strong Passwords. The strongest and easiest to remember passwords are four-word passphrases. It doesn't hurt to add uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols either. Change your passwords frequently in case they are leaked. Use different passwords for different things. Ideally, use a password manager to generate and store all of your passwords. *BONUS: All PrydeTech clients are supplied with a password manager.
These are just a few of the many simple things that you can do to increase cybersecurity for yourself and/or your company. For more information and to discuss more ways that you can keep your business secure, contact us! We can be reached by phone at (817) 693-1042 or by email at info@prydetech.com. We would love to help answer any cybersecurity questions you may have.
