Part 1: The basics  

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is the means by which individuals and organisations reduce the risk of being affected by cyber-crime. It’s core function is to protect the devices we all use (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers), and the services we access online – both at home and work – from theft or damage. It’s also about preventing unauthorised access to the vast amounts of personal information we store on these devices, and online.

Cyber security is important because smartphones, computers and the internet are now such a fundamental part of modern life, that it’s difficult to imagine how we’d function without them. From online banking and shopping, to email and social media, it’s more important than ever to take steps that can prevent cyber criminals getting hold of our accounts, data, and devices. 

Why is Cybersecurity Awareness Important?

Similar to safety incidents, cybersecurity incidents can come with a hefty price tag. If you’re struggling to allocate budget to cybersecurity training, tools or talent, you should think about it through the lens of risk management. With an ever-rising number of cyberattacks each year, the risk of not educating your employees on cybersecurity awareness only continues to grow.

Cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to circumvent the latest defensive tools and technologies, landing themselves in the inboxes and browsers of your employees. In 2021 alone,85%  of data breaches involved the human element, with 94% of malware delivered via email.

These email attacks almost always involve some sort of phishing. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails posing as a legitimate source to compel victims to reveal sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. You may have seen phishing emails before, offering you a free TV or asking you to change your password. While an email spam filter will catch many of these, some will still occasionally make it through to your inbox.

Ways to protect your business

Here are 5 key things we suggest that you can easily put in place to protect yourself.

1. Install Antivirus Software and Keep It Updated

We call this type of software antivirus, but fending off actual computer viruses is just one small part of what they do. Ransomware encrypts your files and demands payment to restore them. In theory, you can set and forget your antivirus protection, letting it hum along in the background, download updates, and so on. In practice, you should look it over every now and then

2.Explore the Security Tools You Install

Many excellent apps and settings help protect your devices and your identity, but they’re only valuable if you know how to use them properly. To get the maximum protective power from these tools, you must understand their features and settings. Most antivirus tools have the power to fend off Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs), troublesome apps that aren’t exactly malware but don’t do anything beneficial. But not all of them enable PUA detection by default. Check the detection settings and make sure yours are configured to block these annoyances. Likewise, your security suite may have components that aren’t active until you turn them on.

3.Use Unique Passwords for Every Login

One of the easiest ways hackers steal information is by getting a batch of username and password combinations from one source and trying those same combinations elsewhere. For example, let’s say hackers got your username and password by hacking an email provider.They might try to log into banking sites or major online stores using the same username and password combination. The single best way to prevent one data breach from having a domino effect is to use a strong, unique password for every single online account you have.

Creating a unique and strong password for every account is not a job for a human. That is why you use the random password generator built into your password manager. Several very good password managers are free, and it takes little time to start using one. For-pay password managers generally offer more features

4.Use Multi-Factor Authentication 

Multi-factor authentication can be a pain, but it absolutely makes your accounts more secure. Multi-factor authentication means you need to pass another layer of authentication, not just a username and password, to get into your accounts. If the data or personal information in an account is sensitive or valuable, and the account offers multi-factor authentication, you should enable it. Gmail, Evernote, and Dropbox are a few examples of online services that offer multi-factor authentication.

5.Get a VPN and Use It

Any time you connect to the Internet using a Wi-Fi network that you don’t own, you should use a virtual private network or VPN. Say you go to a coffee shop and connect to a free Wi-Fi network. You don’t know anything about the security of that connection. It’s possible that someone else on that network, without you knowing, could start looking through or stealing the files and data sent from your laptop or mobile device. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, routing it through a server owned by the VPN company. That means nobody, not even the owner of the free Wi-Fi network, can snoop on your data.

Part two, will look into more detail with some advanced methods of making sure your cyber security is the best it can be.