October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October has been designated as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As more businesses use the web to conduct business, hackers will look to exploit any weakness in getting your precious data.

According to a recent report released by Hiscox, 61% percent of firms surveyed have reported a serious Cyber breach, the first time in the three years that a majority of those surveyed reported such. In addition, many small and mid-sized companies have become as big of a target as the large scale companies. “Midsize companies can be prime targets for cyber attacks because they often lack the resources and protocols of larger firms to defend against them,” wrote Joe DePaul, National Cyber/E&O Practice leader for North America at Willis Towers Watson. “For others, the menacing headlines alone are enough to drive them off the sideline and into the buying market.”[1]

Here are a few ways that you can protect yourself:

• Watch what you share: Social media is a double edge sword. You can promote your business, but your company and your employees can post things that harm your reputation or open them to malicious actors
• Lock down your logins: Change your passwords frequently or make it so only certain people can access it
• Clean your computer out: Old files and apps can contain malicious software which can open your network up.
• Avoid Public Wi-Fi to do work: Public Wi-Fi is a necessary evil. However, using your computer on a public router can easily make them a target for hackers as they scout out places like Starbucks and other shops.
• Suspicious emails: If you think an email is suspicious or contains links in the email, Don’t Open It. They contain malware designed to wreck systems and steal information.

The most important thing is to be vigilant. Update your security and always keep your computer up to date with the latest software and don’t be fooled by emails and texts encouraging you to download anything.

[1] https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2019/10/08/544879.htm