October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. During this month we are asked to focus on the security and safety of our technology environment and our on-line activities.

With so many cyber attacks leading to data breaches impacting thousands of users clogging media channels it’s no wonder our on-line security is in focus.

So, how do you make the necessary changes to create a higher level of security? 

There are number of ways to increase your cyber security.

One of the easiest is to remain vigilant! Ensure all links and emails are authentic before clicking on anything. If you’re not sure don’t click!

Cyber criminals are getting more and more sophisticated with the ways they try and trick us into falling for their scams so it’s important to remain alert. Completing Security Awareness Training can help in recognising sinister cyber attacks.

Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date, operating and hasn’t expired. These are great ways to increase your security, although remember, they are only one piece of the puzzle.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)  is an important part of keeping you safe and secure on-line. Enabling MFA on your key on-line platforms will add another layer of security to your logging on process. You might think it’s a pain, but the pain it could save you in the long run is far greater.

Passwords are sometimes the bane of our existence. Needing to meet increasing password complexities can lead us to using he same password across multiple sites or using simple words with a number or symbol at the end. This does not make a difficult to hack password! Consider using a passphrase or group of words that have meaning to you. Many sites now accept spaces in passphrases so a song lyric or line form your favourite film may be a great way to create a complex password that is easy to remember.

Another option for passwords and making sue they unique across all sites is to use a Password Manager. You can find out more about Password Managers here.

Change your passwords regularly. I can hear you all groaning.

Just when I get used to the password you want me to change it…

Yes, that’s exactly what you need to do.

Again, a Password Manager can be a life saver here generating and storing your passwords for easy access when you need it.

In a nutshell, Cyber Security Awareness is super important and should not be seen as a trivial annoyance. The peace of mind you can attain through knowing you have done everything you can to secure your technology environment is worth more than the slight inconvenience you may experience through implementing the suggestions within this article.

Don’t take the risk, secure your data and that of your clients now.

If this has brought up a few questions or nervous thoughts please get in touch, Smikteck is here to help.