Cyber Security: 5 Top Tips to stay safe

Technology is everywhere. It's become a fundamental part of modern life. The internet has brought the world to our finger tips, and we have all come to depend on it in many ways, both at home and at work.  The cybersecurity landscape is a constantly evolving space; keeping abreast of it is important for any business and it’s employees.

There are plenty of ways you can begin to protect your business and improve your approach to cyber security. Here is our 5 Top Tips of what you can do to take action and protect your self from cyber attacks and keep your business, devices and assets safe.

Your staff are at the forefront of your organisation, representing the business and dealing with personal and organisational data daily and therefore if educated can become your first line of defence against cyber security.

Cyber security staff awareness training is an effective way to educate employees and ensure proper procedures are followed. It reduces risk and keeps your organisation’s data safe against cyber attacks.

Phishing is when attackers attempt to trick users into doing ‘the wrong thing’, such as clicking a bad link that will download malware, or steal sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers and more.  

Make sure you:

Check the email address/website address
Cyber criminals can often mislead you by creating fake email accounts to make it look like it is someone you already know. Make sure you check the sender’s address for anything suspicious before opening the the email or attachment.

Check for spelling and grammar errors
One often and easy way to identify a scam or phishing email it the quality of the content. Be sure to check out typos. Chances are legitimate emails have usually been proof-read.

Never open email attachments without checking that the source
Unexpected or suspicious email attachments should never opened.

We all have too many passwords to manage – and it’s easy to take short-cuts, like reusing the same password.  A password manager can help you to maintain strong unique passwords for all of your accounts.  

Strong passwords have the following characteristics:

  • Eight or more characters in length
  • Characters from each of the following four categories:
  • Capital letter(s)
  • Lowercase letter(s)
  • Number(s)
  • Special character(s) (%,^,*,?,<,>)

DO NOT keep passwords near your computer or on your desk.

The physical security of your devices is just as important as their technical security.  If you need to leave your laptop, phone, or tablet for any length of time – lock it up so no one else can use it. 

If you keep protected data on a flash drive or external hard drive, make sure their encrypted and locked up as well. 

For desktop computers, lock your screen or shut-down the system when not in use.

Your email is where you keep your most personal and financial information. If a cyber criminal accesses your email, they could:

  • access your other online accounts using the ‘forgot password’ feature (which often sends you an email)
  • access personal or business information and use this to scam you or people you know

2-Step Verification (2SV) gives you twice the protection so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can’t access your email. 

2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity. For example, getting a code sent to your phone when you sign in using a new device or change settings such as your password.