Your work is important to you and your employer … and cybercriminals as well. That is a good reason to stop and think before you connect.
It may have happened to you before. You
were browsing through your work emails, coming across one with an unusual
subject line. In the message, the sender is politely asking you to sign into your
work account again because of some technical issues, attaching a specific link
for this purpose. As it came from an address, which seems like it’s from inside
the company, you click and try to sign-in.
The process is obviously not working even
after you have inserted the correct user name and password several times, so
you just carry on with work, as if nothing has happened and ignore the
incident. Only a few hours later you start suspecting that something is wrong,
just as your computer starts acting.
Calling the company’s IT support, you find
out that you have become a victim of a phishing attack that was after your login data. Listening to
your boss mentoring you on security, you realize how complicated the cyberspace
has gotten and how vulnerable you as a user really are.
But fear not, there are good habits that
can help protect you from treacherous emails, suspicious websites or even
malicious apps and October as the European
Cyber Security Month presents a perfect opportunity to brush up on these
skills:
1. Pay
more attention to the details
It goes without saying that you should be
extra careful about everything you encounter in the digital world - the unusual
work email, link your colleague sent you during lunch or anything that’s
trending on your social network. In case you don’t know the sender or there is
something dubious about the content, you best avoid it.
2. Suspect
something is awry?
You realized that you just surfed through malicious
website. Take a deep breath, think and
if you aren’t sure what to do, ask some of your more experienced colleagues or
reach out to IT support for help.
3.
Don’t do things in a rush
If nobody is around, don’t rush to find the
solution yourself. It is better to let the content idle, than risk making more missteps
on the way.
4.
Lock your computer with a password
Think of security also in the physical sense.
Need a break for coffee or have to leave your workspace? Keep the screen
locked. It might sound annoying, but the same
rule applies for all your mobile devices – work and private – especially if
they store sensitive company data and you lend them to other people. If
passwords aren’t your kind of thing a PIN lock, or even a pattern is way better
than nothing.
5.
Stick-it notes with passwords. …not that you use them : )
Use a password manager by trustworthy vendor instead, as it encrypts
your data and also keeps it protected with other security features.
6. Protect your devices with
a security solution
All your valiant cyber security efforts can
come to nothing, if your computer or mobile device isn’t protected. So don’t
hesitate and install security software
from a
renowned vendor or ask your IT department to do it for you.