BECOMING CYBER SECURE
With the ever changing technologies of today , data breaches and cybersecurity are at the forefront of our minds , and rightfully so . The number of successful cyberattacks in the U . S . has grown 144 % in the past four years . Attacks are happening daily , with 62 % of these attacks targeting small to midsized businesses .
TIP # 1 – CREATE COMPLEX PASSWORDS THAT ARE EASY TO REMEMBER You ’ ve heard this before – make your passwords complex and use a different one for every website and application . The longer and more complex the password , the more difficult it is to hack . It could take years to crack a complex password of 10 characters compared to a non-complex password . Choose something that is easy to remember , like your favorite song lyric , so that you will not easily forget it .
Suggestions : Take the first letter from each word of that song lyric to get 8-9 letters for your password . Then add a number and special character to it to get your Base password . Finally , add 2 upper case site specific letters to the site to the beginning to get your complex , easy to remember and unique site specific password .
TIP # 2 – THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK Don ’ t fall for a “ phishing attack ”. Never click a link or open an attachment that you did not expect to receive . Scams today look very convincing , coming in the form of voicemails , e Faxes , invoices , social media , ADP theme , or from the IRS . If you receive a LinkedIn invite by email , confirm it is real by signing into the LinkedIn website or use your mobile app . If you ’ re not expecting something or have to think twice about the contents , don ’ t open it . If you do , you ’ re opening hackers to the contents of your computer . Contact your IT department if you think an email is suspect , or just delete it and report it as SPAM .
TIP # 3 – PREVENT EMAIL FRAUD Since January 2015 , there has been a 270 % increase in email fraud instances . There have been over 17,642 victims and $ 2.3 billion in losses between October 2013 and February 2016 , with the most prominent one being Ubiquity Networks that became a victim of a $ 46.7 million “ CEO email fraud .”
Got an email from your CEO requesting an urgent wire transfer ? The email address actually matches the email ID of your CEO ? Don ’ t act on it . Pick up the phone and verify . Be cautious of mimicked email addresses , email-only wire transfer requests and requests involving urgency . If it ’ s something you ’ re not expecting or the address looks a little off , it probably is a fake . Attackers use a technique called “ spear phishing ” by sending email requests that appear genuine due to the language used and relevance of the content . Sometimes it pays to go “ old school ”. Don ’ t hesitate to pick up the phone and call to verify legitimate business partners and reasons . Scam emails aren ’ t as obvious as ALL CAPS or with $$$ saying “ YOU WON CA $ H $$$”. Emails today can be very convincing .
Being conscientious of what you ’ re opening and who is sending you emails can help you avoid a $ 25,000 to $ 75,000 loss , which is the average loss per scam .
TIP # 4 – PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER ENVIRONMENT AGAINST VIRUSES
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Tips To Becoming Cyber Secure
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