If you have a mobile phone, a laptop, or a desktop computer and you connect to the internet for any reason, you have a cyber exposure.
Because almost everyone today knows that probably the number one defense is creating a strong password and updating it regularly, this article is going to be focused on other easy methods of protecting your data that are less well known and often ignored. While I was able to do all of these steps through searches on Google, I would highly recommend consulting with an IT professional to make sure that your exposures are identified, and the correct protective measures are in place.
Multi-Factor Authentication – also known as MFA, two factor authentication, or 2FA – is like giving your already strong password, steroids. Using an MFA provides a stronger defense against hackers by requiring an additional layer of verification. If you are a victim to a phishing attack in which the cyber criminal is able to trick you into providing your password, an MFA provides a tall hurdle to overcome because they won’t have access to your second method of authentication. The way MFA works is this - You enter something you know (your password) and then you are asked for something that you have. This could be something unique to you such as your face, fingerprint, or voice. It could also be something that is sent to you such as a code to your phone or your email. Because YOU have the second means of authentication, the cyber criminal will have a very hard time breaking into your sensitive information.
It was fairly effortless to set this up for my email - Google. I went on to Google and asked how to add MFA to my email account (Outlook). The steps were easy to follow and quick to complete.
Next, start encrypting your data. Encryption scrambles your data so that it is unreadable without the correct decryption key. This ensures that your data remains private, even if your physical device is lost or stolen. It is hard to obtain cyber liability insurance protection without enabling encryption on your devices – that’s how important this is.
This is another easy and quick way to protect your devices (phones, desktop computers, and laptops). Go to Google and ask, “How to check if my (computer, laptop, phone) is encrypted”.
Another important layer of protection is using a VPN. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet traffic making is unreadable to anyone trying to intercept it. When a VPN is used, your actual IP address is hidden and replaced with the IP address of the VPN that you are using. This keeps the “tunnel” that your data is traveling through as it goes back and forth over the internet private. If you use your devices out of the office and connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots, it protects your data from being intercepted by hackers.
I didn’t have to go to Google for this one – I went to my internet provider. As part of my internet package, I have access to a VPN at no additional cost. If you’re internet provider doesn’t offer this, then you can again go to Google to research providers.
Finally, set up automatic back-ups to the cloud. The goal is to protect your data, not just from criminals, but from being lost forever. Cloud backups (such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud) store your data off-site which means that it won’t be affected by disasters such as fire, flood, or theft. It also allows you to access your data anywhere, anytime. One of the best advantages of automated backups to the cloud is the word, “automated”. If you have your system set up to automatically save any changes, then you always have the most recent copy of your data. Some programs also offer the ability to maintain multiple versions so that if you need an older version, you have access to it.
Anyone can be a victim. The goal is to minimize the financial burden, time burden, and emotional burden that being a victim can lead to.
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