October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and in honor of its kickoff, we're sharing some pro tips on how you can do your part to #BeCyberSmart. Cybersecurity can seem overwhelming, especially now that we're living so much of our lives online these days, but it doesn't have to be. By following the checklist below, you can go a long way toward protecting yourself from a cyber attack.
Here are five concrete steps you can take to become cyber smart.
1. Use strong passwords
A strong password is your first and most essential line of defense against a cyber attack. If you're like most people, you need strong passwords more than ever now that you're relying on the internet so much during the pandemic.
Set a strong, unique password on each one of your online accounts and update it on a regular basis. A
strong password is at least 16 characters long and includes a mix of capital and lowercase letters as well as numbers and symbols.
This might feel like a chore if you're manually managing your passwords, especially if there are a lot of them to keep track of. A password manager comes in handy in just these kinds of situations, helping you automatically generate and easily update all of your passwords. A password manager can also give you the heads up when one of your passwords is too weak or when it has appeared in a data breach. That way, you can replace that password with a stronger, more effective one.
Not sure
how to choose a password manager? Doing a quick inventory of your needs, like how many devices you have and what kinds of devices you have, will help you figure out which one is right for you.
2. Take advantage of MFA
A password is the most common form of authentication, but there are others. Each time you add another form of authentication to your tool belt, you improve your cyber security. These additional authentication methods were once reserved for businesses and other organizations with advanced security requirements, but they are increasingly becoming available to regular consumers – which is good news for anyone who wants to stay safe on the internet.
You may have already noticed that some of your online accounts now offer multi-factor authentication (MFA) techniques like biometrics, SMS authorization codes, push notifications, and authenticator apps. By taking advantage of them, you significantly reduce the chances that a bad actor can break into your account. If someone does attempt to log in as you, MFA tools can give you a timely heads up so you can change your password and protect your account.
3. Back up your data
Most people know it's important to back up your data in case your computer breaks down, but it's also a smart idea to do this in case you fall victim to a cyber attack.
Ransomware attacks are at an all-time high, and no one wants to have their data held hostage or, worse, permanently deleted.
Regular data backups also give you crucial peace of mind in these scenarios, reassuring you that even if you do get hacked, you won't be at the cyber attackers' mercy. Ideally, you will want to have a data backup that you keep offline on an external hard drive so attackers can't easily get to it. If you back up your data to the cloud, use a strong password for your data backup service and update it on a regular basis.
4. Keep all of your gadgets and apps up to date
Cyber attackers often target vulnerabilities in devices and applications, and their intended victims often don't even know when they've been hacked. For this reason, "I will keep my devices and applications updated" should be one of your
cybersecurity mantras. If you see an alert from Apple, Microsoft, or Google warning you about an urgent security update, be sure to install it right away. Web-based cyber attacks are on the rise, so regularly check your web browsers to make sure they are up to date. Got smart home devices or other internet of things (IoT) gadgets? Update their software, as well.
5. Be security-aware
To become cyber smart, you must first be security-aware. Cyber attackers love it when their intended victims are uninformed and unaware about cyber security – it makes their task easier, after all. Give yourself a leg up by signing up for important text and email alerts about important activity on your bank and credit accounts. When you get an email notifying you that your account credentials have been
found in a data breach, update your password right away and make sure there's been no suspicious activity on that account.
If you get a strange or alarming email message, closely analyze the sender's email address and any links that may be in the message to make sure they look correct. If you're not sure the message is legitimate, look up the company's contact information separately – don't trust any phone numbers or email addresses that appear in the message itself – and ask them if they in fact sent that message to you. Likewise, if you receive a text message or a direct message (DM) on social media that seems slightly off, don't click on any of the links or reply to it. Confirm that the message actually came from a trusted source before taking any action.
Do your part and be cyber smart
Being cyber smart isn't just in your self-interest. It also helps defend your workplace from a cyber attack. This is especially true now that the lines between our personal and work lives have blurred during the pandemic. Once you've checked every item on this checklist, though, you can rest assured that you've done your part to become more cyber smart. This way, you'll be much better equipped to keep yourself and your coworkers safe from a cyber attack.
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