For many, the New Year is a great time for starting
afresh and improving on behaviors and actions from the previous year. As a
result, many of us turn our attention to New Year’s resolutions – setting
goalposts for the year ahead. While losing weight, quitting smoking or hitting
the gym are all popular resolutions, it’s worth giving thought to your
relationship with technology too.
The problem with today’s New Year’s resolutions is
that they’ve become all too complex. As Confucius said, “life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated”.
Rather than set ourselves obtainable goals, we set
ourselves too much to achieve at once. Take the popular weight loss resolution
as an example; lots of people sign up to the gym in the New Year, cut out
drinking and junk food, and attempt to turn themselves into the ultimate
healthy eating chef. By adopting an extreme approach like this, we set
ourselves up for failure. Instead, small, achievable, time-bound goals hold the
answer.
7 steps to a cyber-savvy 2017
1. A different kind of detox
One New Year’s resolution you might not have
considered is a digital detox. Yes, a New Year’s resolution and being kind to
yourself can go hand-in-hand. Achieving a healthier balance between real life
and technology will see you reap rewards such as improved focus and more
restful sleep.
In fact, Ofcom’s Communications
Market Report 2016 found that our reliance on the Internet is
negatively impacting our personal and working lives. In a study, which saw
Internet users go offline for a period of time, the majority of participants
reported a positive experience. A third said they felt more productive, 27%
found it liberating, while a quarter said they enjoyed life more. The key to
making a digital detox a success, however, is setting realistic goals. Instead
of switching off from technology completely, choose one day a week to switch
off. Alternatively, why not turn off all your technologies at 7 pm each night,
spending your evening winding down and enjoying better sleep.
2. Get cyber security fit
The same principles apply to cyber security.
Instead of changing all your passwords on the first day of the New Year and
logging out of all your social media accounts, take a longer-term approach and
implement small steps.
To make sure you’re in the best shape possible when
it comes to cyber security, we recommend that you:
3. Install antivirus and malware software
Perhaps you decided to ditch the antivirus software
a while back or maybe your subscription has run out. Whatever your reasoning
for not having antivirus software, we suggest you invest in it now. Without it,
you are at even higher risk of innocently downloading malware or becoming
victim of a scam. As ESET researcher Aryeh Goretsky says, antivirus certainly isn’t dead.
4. Update all software regularly
Software updates seem to pop-up at the most
inconvenient of times – but patching your device in a timely manner is
essential in protecting against attack. Software updates for programs –
including Microsoft and Internet Explorer, as well as your mobile devices – contain vital security upgrades, which help
to protect your device.
5. Start becoming password savvy
If you use the same password for all devices and
accounts, it’s time to change. Weak passwords or re-used passwords make the
work of a cybercriminal easy.
Begin the New Year by creating secure, complex
passwords or passphrases for all your accounts. Don’t stop at this step though.
Set a reoccurring appointment in your calendar to change your passwords
regularly and make password management a new habit.
6. Keep social media accounts but treat them with
caution
Instead of deleting or logging out of all your
social media accounts, why not adopt a more balanced approach? Use social media
accounts on an ad hoc basis rather than scrolling through your feed all day.
It’s also important to be conscious of what you
post on social media and to secure your accounts – you don’t want to give too much away.
Announcing your birthday or that you’re away on holiday can be dangerous when
the information falls into a cybercriminal’s hands.
7. Apply cyber safe thinking to all devices
Did you know that devices like your mobile are also subject to attack? With all internet-connected
technologies at risk of being compromised, it’s essential that you applying all
the same thinking and security practices to all your devices; not just your
laptop.
Implementing these small but effective changes in
your behavior and technology usage could make a huge difference in 2017.
Remember, it’s steady, progressive steps, rather than extremities, that win the
race.