October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Were you aware? Now you are. Don’t be frightened. We know it can be scary. We are here to explain what you can do to protect yourself from scary things like phishing attacks, Ransomware and other online scams as well as Cybersecurity at home, in the workplace and critical infrastructure.

Recently, there have been massive cybersecurity breaches within large corporations, small businesses and personal home networks. The Facebook Data Breach in April of 2018 was one of the largest miss-uses of personal data in history and the huge WannaCry Ransomware Attack in May of 2017 will go down in the books as one of the most successful malware campaigns in history. Just last week, Facebook revealed that 15 million people had their contact name, email and phone number accessed by hackers. Facebook is making an effort to be more transparent about its security issues. Now more than ever, learning about cybersecurity tactics can keep you safe in a digital world of criminals and hackers.

Cybersecurity awareness tips for you:

1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
   1. This will make it harder for someone to access any of your accounts.
2. Check a Website’s SSL Certificate Before Using
   1. This will ensure the website is safe to use.
   2. Beware – hackers can mimic a safe site if you click on a malware link. (Ex: Phishing Email)
3. Never Save Credit Card Information Online
   1. This is a great basic tip to keep your bank account information secure.
   2. If that site is ever compromised, your card information will be too.
4. Up Your Password Game
   1. Think of a long password. (10+ Characters)
   2. Never use the same password on different accounts.
5. Think Twice Before Clicking an Email Link
   1. Not all links are created equal. Some seemingly safe links can wreak havoc.
   2. Phishing emails are becoming harder to detect. Look into Social Engineering Training.

These basic tips can help you stay more protected when using your computer. For more tips and tricks check out our blog weekly or give us a call to see what we can do for your business. (206) 590-3312.