Three common sense data safety reminders

by | May 30, 2023 | Uncategorized

Three common sense data safety reminders When it comes to smaller and medium sized businesses, anything that distracts from the day to day concerns about bringing in revenue tends to fall by the wayside. With that in mind, we have put together a list of seven things that a small business needs to prioritize if you want to keep your business up and running. Remember, a cyber attack on your data security could be the biggest threat to your revenues that you face, even more serious than a recession or a pandemic Software Everything you have uses software programs, all of which can be vulnerable to hacking. Make sure all of your software programs are up-to-date. Software companies release program updates, security patches and critical updates for their applications. In addition to providing new features or fixing bugs in the program, these updates and patches prevent cybercriminals from exploiting the vulnerabilities that exist in the program to gain access to your network and data. So, you need to take the time to make sure that all of your software applications, including operating systems, and browsers are up-to-date. And do not forget your smartphone. It is important not to leave out your smartphone applications and mobile devices as well, because cybercriminals can find a way to invade your network and data from your smartphone For example, you have your work email configured on your phone. Hacking into your phone can give them access to your work email and consequently to work data. Backups There are things we all know we should do that are good for us, but that doesn’t...

7 Cybersecurity basics to never forget

by | May 23, 2023 | Uncategorized

No matter how much people hear “data safety,” they still can get sloppy about their cybersecurity. One of the reasons is that there are so many constant reminders that the warnings just become that much more background noise. Today, let’s do a quick review of the one you hear most about ( and most likely to forget about) Passwords. Passwords As annoying as they are (and who doesn’t doest curse them sometimes) passwords are a basic and necessary evil to protect access to your data. One of the root innovations that helps sidestep the tedium of entering ( and remembering ) passwords are facial recognition and fingerprint security measures. These can be a real timesaver, but they aren’t readily available across every site and device. So that leaves us with the question, what are the best practices for maintaining strong passwords and defending multiple sites, programs or devices (also known as “ good password hygiene’’)? Maintaining password best practices Simple passwords, with nothing but regular vocabulary words (even in other languages) are easily cracked. Most sites generally require mixed case, alphanumeric and a symbol or two for it to be an approved password. Here are a few things to remember. Avoid using the same password across multiple sites or devices. Don’t share your passwords with co-workers, no matter how convenient or timesaving it may be Don’t send passwords ( or any critical personal data, for that matter) via text or email. Don’t save them on a device in an unencrypted file Remember to change them periodically Be sure that access to files is removed immediately when an employee leaves...

Open sesame! Life is not a fairy tale…your passwords need

by | May 16, 2023 | Uncategorized

Open sesame! Life is not a fairy tale…your passwords need to be stronger than that You will agree that having passwords to access your IT devices, networks and data is the first step to securing your business data. However, having passwords is not enough. The passwords have to be strong and difficult to detect or hack into. A lot of ‘smart’ devices today such as phones, tablets and laptops come with facial recognition and fingerprint sensors that can be used in lieu of passwords. But what happens when you don’t have biometric security measures? You need to ensure that your passwords are strong and also maintain good password hygiene. Maintaining good password hygiene involves- Not having passwords that are too simple or easy to crack. Ideally, a password should be at least 12 characters long, mixed case, alphanumeric and include symbols. Not using the same password across different sites, programs or systems. For example, having the same password for your email and laptop is a strict no-no Not sharing passwords with coworkers and never sharing passwords via emails or text Storing passwords safely and securely, and not on a piece of paper or email or in a file on the computer without encryption Changing passwords and revoking access after someone quits the organization or in case they wanted temporary access, then not changing the password or revoking access after their work is completed Multi Factor authentication: Fortifying your data even further Multi-factor authentication involves putting up multiple barriers to data access for better data security. The idea is to have another layer of security to protect your data. The...

Fix that lock…and get a spare key! Software updates, security patches

by | May 9, 2023 | Uncategorized

Fix that lock…and get a spare key! Software updates, security patches and data backups If the lock to your home’s main door breaks, do you fix it or just let it be? My guess is, you would get a locksmith to fix it for you at the earliest. And, what do you do if you lose the key? Use the spare key, if you have one, to get into your home, right? The situation is kind of similar when it comes to security patches and updates for your software programs. Credible software manufacturers make sure the software programs they develop offer an acceptable level of data security. However, no software is perfect and knowing this well, cybercriminals constantly work to find vulnerabilities in popular software programs that they can exploit to gain access to your data. Security patches and software updates work to prevent this by fixing or patching the vulnerabilities. So, you need to take the time to make sure that all of your software applications, including operating systems, and browsers are up-to-date. While it makes sense to start with the software programs you are using at work, do not forget your smartphone. It is important not to leave out your smartphone applications and mobile devices as well, because cybercriminals can find a way to invade your network and data from your smartphone. For example, you have your work email configured on your phone. Hacking into your phone can give them access to your work email and consequently to work data. Make sure all of your software programs, whether on computers or on mobile devices such as smartphones...