Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Recipe for Strong Cybersecurity
Cookies. Cakes. Pies. Brownies. All fantastic treats to have when you’re feeling down. But you know what the easiest and most satisfying dish to make really is? Strong Cybersecurity! Let’s quickly go over what you’ll need and the steps you’ll need to take to have a truly cyber-safe digital presence!
Ingredients:
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Computer, laptop, tablet, phone, or some other device that connects to the Internet
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1x Continuous Training Program
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1x Password Manager
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1x Multi-Factor Authentication
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1x Dark Web Monitoring Service
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1x Virtual Private Network (VPN)
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1x Spam Filter
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1x Data Breach Strategy
Steps:
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Every week, make sure to watch your Weekly Micro-Training and take the quiz to keep the most current cybersecurity tips fresh in your mind. Also, make sure to take your Annual Cybersecurity Training for the same reason.
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Make your passwords or passphrases extra-long, complex, and unique (NEVER repeat a password or it will ruin the dish). If you don’t think you’ll be able to remember all of them, use a password manager. That way, you’ll only have to remember one master passphrase (make sure that one’s a good one) and it will do the rest. It may even provide you with unique passwords.
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Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication on all your accounts. This will force potential hackers to provide another form of identification (normally clicking a button on one of your devices or some form of biometric like a fingerprint) in order to access your accounts.
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Pay attention to your Dark Web Monitoring. If you see that your password, username, or email has been found on the dark web, that means cybercriminals may try to use it to break into your accounts. Change them immediately! If you see that an unchangeable (or harder to change) piece of personally identifiable information (PII) like a phone number, address, or SSN has been found, contact the proper authorities.
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Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) when in public or at all times. Cybercriminals use public wi-fi to try to break into your devices and infect them with malware. Having a VPN on your devices will keep them from being able to do this.
