Adobe, the National Cyber Security Alliance, and Speechless have partnered to bring you a series of security awareness videos for employees.
The first video of the video series is on passwords. The key points mentioned, if implemented throughout the organization can dramatically reduce the risk of compromise.
The use of data helps make our lives more convenient and streamlined which likely means the proliferation of online data and devices are here to stay. There is one best practice that each of us can apply that will help personal data stay more secure and only share on a need-to-know basis.
Information beyond name and email such as birthdate and address should not be provided freely as a best practice and you should only provide this information to trusted companies with which you have an established relationship.
Having something stolen from you tends to leave an indelible feeling of violation and injustice. If what is stolen is an electronic device (e.g. laptop, phone, flash drive), not only is the property gone but so is your data. Stolen data can be a more damaging long term than the loss of the physical device itself. The data could be personal or company data. If device is able to be used by the thief, there are many ways the device can become of value.
The most important best practice is to not leave devices unattended in public places. This includes a locked car. In many cities, car break-ins are extremely common. Even if you think your risk might be lower, don’t take a chance. Take your devices with you!
Phishing, we’ve heard of it, but what does it mean? In summary, it is a tool and method attackers use to try and coerce people into clicking on a malicious site or download, potentially leading to a security issue.
Ransomware is an especially dangerous consequence of falling for a phishing attempt. Ransomware is software that locks down data by encrypting it and won’t be unlocked through decryption until a ransom is paid. To protect yourself from ransomware:
1.Be wary of suspicious emails and look for the signs.
2. Make sure your antivirus software is up to date and running. It’ll help stop the ransomware in its tracks.
3. If ransomware is installed, then if you’ve backed up your data, you can ignore the threat and restore the data.
Unfortunately, in many cases and especially for large enterprises, the cost of the ransom is significantly less than the cost to restore the data, even if it’s backed up. Therefore, the first and second layers of protection are critical.
Removable media and devices are portable hardware. The most common is a USB flash drive but other forms could be an external hard drive or SD card. When it comes to cyber security best practices, removable media and devices must only be plugged or inserted into your computer if you trust or know the source.
“Vishing” which is defined as the fraudulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to trick individuals to reveal personal information, such as bank details and credit card numbers.
Internet downloads. Only download reputable software from reputable sources. If you don’t know the source, or it looks suspicious, don’t risk it, head to the official source and go from there.
Public Wi-Fi is not secure and can put your device and data at risk.