Do’s and Don’ts for Cyber Safety

Education of your employees on cyber safety practices is vital for protecting your business against attacks; however, some attacks are inevitable no matter how well-protected against they may be. Here are a few dos and don’ts of running an effective cybersecurity program.

DO’s

One way to protect your personal information is through password protection on all of your devices and services, particularly if your device accesses public Wi-Fi networks – these provide hackers with easy entry points into attacking computers or mobile devices using them directly by connecting directly. In order to avoid this situation, never look at sensitive information (for instance bank accounts) while connected directly to public networks; use private networks instead and ensure their Wi-Fi is encrypted if necessary.

DOs: Never share your password with anyone, including friends and family. If necessary, create a lengthy password using uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters if possible – don’t forget two-factor authentication either! Use unique passwords for each account and do not open email attachments or links/hyperlinks that seem unexpected or suspicious; if in doubt about an attachment/link, contact your ISO or designated security representative for advice. When discarding documents with confidential data that have no longer be needed, properly dispose of them such as by placing them in confidential bins throughout your office or shredding them.

DO’s Always update your operating system and software applications regularly with the most up-to-date patches, updates and fixes in order to prevent unauthorized activity and stop many attacks before they reach your computers. DON’T’s

DON’T’s

Avoid using outdated hardware in the workplace. Old hardware makes it harder, or impossible, to keep up-to-date with OS updates such as security patches and fixes; additionally it may open doors to attacks by installing malware onto your device. Also avoid keeping sensitive data stored externally as these can become infected with viruses that spread to computers when connected via USB cables; physical security for devices should also be implemented – lock them when not in use and turn off Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connections when not needed.