Softronic continues to highlight Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and here Sanaz Babaeian shares tips on how to protect yourself and your organization.
As an employee, what is the best way to protect yourself and your organization?
Unfortunately, you can never be 100 percent safe, even with really good “security hygiene.” But it’s better to be 90 percent protected than 0 percent!
Here are a few tips on how you can protect yourself when it comes to cybersecurity, both personally and within your organization:
- To stay as protected as possible in the digital jungle, you should always update your connected devices when new updates are available.
- Choose strong passwords that cannot be linked to you. For example, don’t use passwords related to you, your children, or your pets. Names and ages or years are generally the worst password combinations because they’re very easy to find out, and it’s not difficult at all for an attacker to figure them out. For example, an attacker could find you on social media and add you under a fake username to extract as much information as possible. Also, don’t use your organization’s name and a year—that’s also easy to figure out. Feel free to use a password manager that randomly generates strong passwords.
- Do not use the same password in multiple places. If your password is compromised or stolen in one place, there is a risk that you could be hacked in other places as well.
- Don’t casually click on links in emails or text messages if you don’t recognize the sender. If you’re unsure about a link, contact the person who claims to have sent it through another channel. The safest option is to call them, if possible.
- Don’t connect to just any network—that is, networks where you don’t need to enter a password or login credentials. These networks usually have unencrypted connections, which means users run a high risk of being hacked. These so-called open networks are often found at airports, hotels, restaurants, and other public places.
- Never mix personal and work-related digital activities. Always keep work emails and personal emails separate. Do not use your work email for personal matters, or vice versa.
- Restart your computer at least once a week, preferably every day. That way, all updates will be applied.
- Check for updates for your computer and your applicationsyourself.
- Enhance your skills and awareness of cybersecurity by participating in awareness training sessions.
As a manager or person responsible for confidential information, how can you best protect yourself and your organization?
Guidelines and tips for managers or those responsible for confidential information on how to improve cybersecurity together with your organization or team.
- Adopt a hacker’s mindset (Attacker’s Perspective).
Think like the attacker—where are the risks, and what is the most valuable asset that needs to be protected? - Define what constitutes a risk in your organization and which ones are business-critical.
- Brainstorm ALL risk scenarios, even if they seem impossible—then prioritize them.
- Include all relevant individuals in the organization (Understanding and Action).
- Have concise but effective security policies, with a requirement for employees to sign them.
- Review your company’s security practices.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to attend our security event on October 18. There, we’ll share more about the current threat landscape. Read more below.
Blog post written by: Sanaz Babaeian.
