Cyber threats are ever-present, and both at home and in the office, it’s important to implement effective security measures. For SMEs around Yorkshire, ensuring cyber security awareness across your personal and professional spaces is essential—and that’s exactly what Cyber Security Awareness Month aims to remind us.
Read on for some practical tips that can protect your data, whether you’re sitting at your office desk or on your sofa at home.
1. Make Strong Passwords a Priority
Strong passwords act as a barrier, preventing unauthorised access to your accounts. Using weak, common, or repeated passwords (like “123456” or “password”) makes it easy for hackers to guess their way into your sensitive data.
At Work:
In a business setting, weak passwords can leave entire systems vulnerable. Implementing strong, unique passwords across the company—especially for confidential accounts like email and databases—ensures that even if one password is compromised, your business and customer data isn’t at risk of being stolen.
Educate your team on the importance of strong passwords, and make it company policy to use a password manager. These help you securely store and generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts. Also, many services allow for password expiration policies to ensure employees regularly update passwords.
At Home:
For personal accounts, like email, banking, and social media, strong passwords help to protect your own identity and financial information. A password manager makes it easier to keep track of numerous accounts without using the same password repeatedly. Consider using free or low-cost options if your device doesn’t have a built-in password manager.
2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Even with strong passwords, accounts can still be vulnerable. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification (such as a text message code) in addition to your password. Without the second authentication step, even if a hacker has your password (whether through theft, guessed it, or had it passed on to them by an insider), they still can’t access your accounts.
At Work:
MFA is crucial for business accounts. For SMEs, it provides additional assurance that company and client data is safeguarded against potential breaches. Roll out MFA across all key platforms and provide training so employees know how to use it effectively. Many cloud-based platforms now offer MFA, which should be enabled by default across all business-critical systems.
At Home:
On a personal level, MFA can protect your most sensitive accounts, too. You’ve likely already encountered it—plenty of banking apps and payment options now require biometric verification (like a facial recognition scan). With the growing number of online scams and identity theft cases, ensuring you have MFA turned on wherever possible adds a vital layer of defence. Most major services (like Google, Apple, and Microsoft) offer MFA. Make sure it’s enabled for any accounts that store sensitive information.
3. Be Vigilant About Phishing
Phishing attacks attempt to trick you into revealing sensitive information by pretending to be legitimate entities, often via email or text. They’re responsible for a large number of data breaches; recognising the warning signs and reporting suspected phishing attempts helps keep not just you but all your contacts safe from cyber criminals.
At Work:
In an office environment, phishing attacks can compromise entire networks, even if just one employee falls victim. Cyber criminals often target businesses through fake emails pretending to be from trusted sources (like company leadership, vendors, or even IT departments), using details they’ve found online to appear more convincing. It’s therefore essential to educate employees on how to identify phishing attempts.
At Home:
Phishing isn’t limited to work; individuals are often targeted through personal email accounts or messaging apps. Recognising fraudulent messages that claim to be from banks, delivery services, or even government agencies can help you avoid personal data theft. Always scrutinise messages asking for sensitive information, especially if they appear urgent, too good to be true, or mention a request you haven’t made (a password reset, for example).
4. Stay On Top of Software Updates
Outdated software is a common entry point for cyber criminals. Software updates often contain patches for vulnerabilities discovered after the software’s release, in hopes of resolving them before hackers become aware of their existence. Failing to update could leave systems open to exploitation.
At Work:
For businesses, updating software is vital to maintaining the security of systems and networks. Ensure that all business-critical software is regularly updated, whether it’s operating systems, productivity suites, or security tools. If you’re an SME without dedicated IT staff, consider automating updates to streamline management.
At Home:
Home users should also ensure their devices (computers, smartphones, tablets) are running the latest software. This includes operating systems, apps, and any antivirus software you use. Lots of breaches occur because users neglect to install updates, leaving themselves exposed to known vulnerabilities, so it’s well worth taking a few minutes to check for and install any updates.
5. Backup Your Data
Having regular backups of your data ensures that, in the event of something like a breach or ransomware attack, you can restore your systems with minimal downtime. Backups are a crucial safety net for both businesses and individuals.
At Work:
SMBs need to ensure that both their on-site and cloud-based data are regularly backed up. This is especially important for client data, financial records, and business-critical information. Cloud backup solutions are ideal for SMBs around Bradford, offering both security and peace of mind in case of a disaster. Create a backup policy that includes regular automated backups to both local and cloud storage. Test the recovery process to ensure it works.
At Home:
Personal users can set up regular backups to external hard drives or use cloud storage services like Google Drive or iCloud. This way, in the event of a ransomware attack or hardware failure, your personal photos, documents, and other important files aren’t lost.
6. Secure Your Home and Work Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi networks can also be a major vulnerability if they aren’t properly secured. An unsecured Wi-Fi network allows anyone to access your internet connection and potentially steal your sensitive data.
At Work:
Review your Wi-Fi security settings with your IT team to ensure they meet the latest security standards, including a strong, unique password and appropriate WPA3 or WPA2 encryption. SMEs can further enhance Wi-Fi security by segmenting the network—using one network for internal operations and another for guests or clients.
At Home:
For personal use, access your router’s settings to enable encryption and change the default password. If you’re working remotely or accessing personal accounts in public places, avoid using public Wi-Fi unless you’re connected to a VPN. Free Wi-Fi may be convenient, but it comes with significant security risks.
Cyber Security Starts with You
Cyber security isn’t just your IT department’s problem—it’s everyone’s responsibility. These foundational measures may seem simple, but they‘re incredibly powerful in protecting your information from cyber threats.
Taking these preventative measures, whether at work or home, can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to cyber-attacks. Remember, cyber security awareness should be practiced all year round, not just during Cyber Security Awareness Month!
Singularitee: Raising Expectations for IT Support in Yorkshire
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They’ll work diligently to understand your business’s unique needs and seamlessly integrate suitable solutions into your existing infrastructure. By providing all our clients with the same core IT foundation, we ensure exceptional quality, reliability, efficiency, and reduced risk.
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