Merry Christmas to all our treasured clients, and of course, a Happy New Year as well!

While we hope that you have a wonderful silly season, we also want to make sure that during this time your businesses private data remains just that, private.

It’s a confusing area, so we have 2 topics to share with you going into the holidays:

1—-Definitions of Cyber Security Threats, and

2—-Things you should do to keep your data protected.

 

Let’s start with some definitions:

DATA BREACHES…
If private information is leaked into an unsecured environment, either on purpose or by accident, this is a DATA BREACH.

MALWARE…
This is software or applications that are specifically designed to damage or otherwise harm a computer system.  The category also includes a particularly insidious form of malware that denies users from accessing their files or systems unless they pay a ransom.

DENIAL-OF-SERVICE…
At attack that prevents actual users from accessing websites or payment platforms.

INSIDER THREATS…
When someone who has inside knowledge about your business threatens it.

 

OK, now that you know what we are talking about, here are some guidelines for you.

DATA PROTECTION…

– Only protect data records as long as you have to

– Once records are no longer required, have them securely and completely destroyed – either via shredding for paper products or digital destruction for hardware, phones etc

– Realise that when you store customers’ personal information, they are trusting you to protect it

– Know which pieces of data are the ones that would be most damaging if they were lost

– Protect that most sensitive data with extra security measures

– Have a Data Breach plan – know what to do if data is last, breached or hacked

– Test out the plan, and make sure your staff know what to do

 

PASSWORDS…

– Always use strong passwords

– Change default passwords on new devices as soon as you get them

– Never use the same password for more than one system – or risk losing your most sensitive information in one foul swoop

– Use a password manager to hold your passwords securely

 

ANTI VIRUS…

– Install paid antivirus software onto your computers, and keep it up to date

– If you choose, get protections from Malware, so you are safe from:

—-Viruses

—-Trojan Horses

—-Ransomware

—-Spyware

—-Adware

 

SOFTWARE UPDATES…

– Keep your software up to date always, as software providers release regular updates to guard against the latest hacks and bugs

– If your device notifies you about an update, make sure you install it

 

Once again, wishing you all the best for the holidays, and we are looking forward to working together again in 2019!

We will be closed from 24th December to January 1st inclusive, and open again, ready for business on January 2nd.