Cyberthreats have never been more relevant. On the heels of a global pandemic and as governments are advising their citizens and organizations to be hypervigilant, the time is now to reassess and reinforce your digital security.
At LastPass, we take pride in deploying a variety of security solutions to best secure your life online – and keep you safe in the face of an ever-changing breach landscape.
While these cyberthreats may seem like they’re far from your digital doorstep, any unprotected access point is an open door for cybercriminals.
Knowledge is power, so let us help you protect your digital life. Read on to learn what you can do right now to secure your credentials.
Best practices you can follow right now
A few best practices and a free password manager can set a strong foundation for your online security. Follow the tips below to take the first steps towards a more secure digital footprint.- Be cybersmart. Phishing, smishing (text or SMS), and vishing (voice call) attacks are on the rise. Carefully review any messages you receive by double-checking the sender’s email address. Be on the lookout for poorly written or misspelled email copy. And don’t blindly accept any MFA requests.
- Set up your cybersecurity tools. Implementing solutions like a password manager and multi-factor authentication (MFA) will secure your data and bolster best practices.
- Update your software. Cyber attacks often target vulnerabilities in older applications. If you receive an alert from Apple, Microsoft, or Google about an urgent security update, install it right away. The same applies to smart home devices or other Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets.
- Conduct an audit. Do you know where your data is? Is every piece of information protected? Have you shared any sensitive credentials? According to our 2021 Psychology of Passwords report, 83% of people wouldn’t know if their information was on the dark web. Try to map out where your data is, who might have access to your information, and take a digital headcount.
- Trust your gut. If money or highly sensitive information (think a social security number) is requested – and the sender needs it quickly – take a moment to assess the situation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get all the facts before pressing send.
How can I keep my personal credentials safe?
You have a password manager. That’s a good start. The reality is, though, that you’re probably managing more accounts than ever before -- 50% more, according to our 2021 Psychology of Passwords report – so let’s level up your security.- Turn on MFA. This additional layer of security ensures you, and only you, are accessing your accounts.
- Update old passwords. Wracking your brain trying to come up with a password that mixes character types and is a passphrase that’s at least 12 characters long? Try a password generator.
- Enable Dark Web Monitoring. Receive alerts if your credentials have been found on the dark web, then update them quickly to mitigate the risk of a hack.
How can I keep my business credentials safe?
85% of breaches involve a human element, according to the 2021 Verizon DBIR, so start reinforcing your security at the source – your employees. Provide them with a password management solution and diligently follow these best practices.- Education is key. Employees need to feel empowered to keep their data safe. Better yet, grant them a personal account to encourage holistic cybersecurity while at work and at home, especially if you allow BYOD.
- Enable security policies. LastPass has a set of core policies you should deploy immediately. Then, customize over 100+ policies to meet the security needs of your business, whether that's limiting access by location or setting access levels for your admins.
- Turn on MFA – everywhere. Ensure only the right people have access to the right applications at the right time – especially for high-risk accounts or applications that involve financial or legal data, or on non-cloud apps like VPN or workstations.
- Use freemium single sign-on (SSO). Secure every entry point your way through LastPass Business – whether in an encrypted password vault or with SAML SSO. Combining password management and SSO allows you to ensure every single password is protected.
- Keep your software updated. Hackers prey on outdated devices and software. Be consistent with updates to avoid known vulnerabilities, and make sure all your employees do the same.
