#1 Create a Culture of Cybersecurity

It’s important to create an office culture that emphasizes the importance of staying safe online. All employees should have the understanding it’s the shared responsibility of everyone in the office to ensure cybersecurity. You probably have an I.T. department tasked with protecting the organization from cyber attacks, but all it takes is a mistake by one employee to allow an attacker access to your network.

#2 Create a Cybersecurity Policy & Provide Training

A Cybersecurity Policy is a document that should outline specific requirements for appropriate use of your organization’s devices, data, internet, email, passwords, etc. Your policy should apply to each employee, as well as contractors and any other person with access to your network and data. We highly recommend using one of the many templates available online, they will serve as an excellent starting point. Once you have a clear Cybersecurity Policy in place, make sure each employee gets a copy and hold a company-wide training to make sure everyone understands what is expected.

#3 Encourage Strong Passwords & Responsible Management

Encourage your employees to only use strong passwords that can’t be easily guessed or stolen. Passwords should be at least 8 characters long, use a mix of upper and lowercase letters and contain special characters. Passwords should never include things like birth dates or names or people and should be changed frequently. All employees should avoid writing their passwords down. If there are many different passwords that are hard to remember, consider a secure password keeper. Exchanging of credentials should also be avoided. Check out our helpful guide on how to make a strong password.

#4 Educate About Spam & Phishing

Phishing emails and calls are one of the most common risks your employees will face at work. Educating them about spotting and avoiding these attempts is critical. Train employees to be critical of things like vague titles, grammar mistakes, attachments, and unknown senders. In addition to the obvious attempts, make sure they understand that many phishing emails are sophisticated and designed to trick you into acting. Emails could appear to be from someone at the company or even a familiar organization. Teach employees to hover over any hyperlinks to preview where they will be taken if clicked. More detailed information about phishing attacks can be found here.[/cz_title][cz_gap height=”25px”]

#5 Communicate About New Threats & Scams

Be sure to keep your employees informed about new threats. If there’s a particular phishing email going around or a breach, make sure they know about it. US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) has a great resource for alerts on current security issues.

#6 Require Installation of Updates & Patches

Make sure employees know they are expected to install all available updates and patches. No clicking “maybe later”. These updates and patches often include the solution to combating the latest vulnerabilities. If you have an in-house I.T. team, have them double check that everyone is up to date.

#7 Remind Them to Lock Their Devices

Employees should be expected to keep devices password protected and lock them when not in use.

#8 Test Them

There are many great solutions for phishing simulation awareness training. Fake phishing emails are sent to your employees, allowing you to identify and address potential weak spots without ever putting your network in harm’s way.

#9 Discourage Unauthorized Software Downloads

We recommend requiring employees to check with your network administrator before downloading software to their computer’s. Even programs that are commonly downloaded onto home computers without a second thought can open your network up to risks like ransomware. Many times the software being downloaded and installed by employees is not even work related.

#10 Limit Internet Access or Establish Browsing Rules

If you’re not blocking employees from certain websites then it’s important to at least establish browsing rules. An internet usage policy should be outlined in your policy. This will help employees avoid risky behaviors like downloading questionable material, sending confidential information, visiting unsecured websites, and more.[/cz_title]

However, with so much of our time spent plugged into the internet, it is becoming an increasingly common place for crime. Providing both convenience and anonymity, it’s no surprise that criminals are using the ever-evolving technological landscape as their playground. Your digital world and everything in it is potentially filled with scams, viruses, malware, spyware, and other less pleasant surprises for your electronic devices.

The Start of It All

When the first computer was built at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, there wasn’t much risk for virus or scams. Firstly, because the computer weighed about 50 tons and contained more vacuum tubes than circuit boards. Secondly, because the computer (named ENIAC or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was capable of solving numerical problems through reprogramming, and therefore did not connect to anything but itself. There simply wasn’t a virtual world from which to catch a virus.

It wasn’t until about 1972, when HP launched its microcomputer, or 1975, when MITS Altair gained traction, that computers began their takeover. Later, the personal computer boom, brought about by IBM and Microsoft, created the starting point for technology in our daily lives. This was, no doubt, what author Bruce Sterling had in mind when he said,

“The electronic landscape changes with astounding speed. We are living through the fastest technological transformation in human history. I was glad to have a chance to document cyberspace during one moment in its long mutation; a kind of strobe-flash of the maelstrom.”

— From the afterword, The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier, 1993

How right he was; we are continuously experiencing the transformation of innovative technology. Sterling, an American science fiction author, dubbed the internet “cyberspace” and from there the virtual realm was taken to the big screen. In 1995 Sandra Bullock starred in The Net, which depicted the internet as a cyberspace, showcasing criminal activity and the pitfalls of unsecured electronic information. That same year Hackers, starring Angelia Jolie was released; giving us a virtual view of the internet and cyberspace as a digital highway. Both films brought to light the increasing number of threats and malicious content to be found online.

Why is all this important? We exist in a physical world tracked on a virtual space, filled with pitfalls and danger zones that must be avoided. Treacherous but hidden behind pretty wrapping.

Internet Crime is a Crime You Can Report

We must remember when being targeted, that internet crime is just that; a crime. Those individuals or groups that use illegal methods, like scams and phishing schemes, are criminals. Reporting those crimes to the right authorities is crucially important to protecting ourselves in the future. Regardless of whether we bite the sour fruit or not, reporting the attempt will enable the right people with the right connections to shut down the illegal activity before it becomes profitable.

According to news released by the FBI Cyber Division, they receive over 20,000 complaints a month. That is a lot of data to sort through. However, they need all the information they can get. Taking down hackers and halting cyber-crime requires much of the same work you would expect from a local police force, and then some. Most often hackers are working across national boundaries, either bouncing signals or living in countries without stringent anti-hacking or piracy laws. Because of the road blocks halting traditional law enforcement work, many task forces are created to work across national boundaries. Tracking these trends to locate cybercriminals requires every bit of information about where attacks are coming from.

That is where every correspondence is important to those working to hamper cyber-crime. It’s no joking matter either. For some time, internet crime was considered a minor offense with little repercussions; and in many cases, a slap on the wrist and a fine was considered appropriate. With increased crime, there has been more stringent punishment. To date, the lengthiest prison sentence issued in the USA for hacking/identity theft occurred in 2010 when Albert Gonzalez, then 28 years old, received 20 years in prison for stealing some 90 million credit/debit card numbers from a collection of high-profile companies including TJX, Office Max, and Dave & Busters.

Cyber-crime does not help our economy, they hurt it and injure consumers’ confidence in the security of their purchases. Technology is changing at an exponential rate; so too should our security measures be adapting to combat the latest threats.

We now have automated cars that park themselves, and hoverboards inspired by time-traveling Marty McFly. Touchscreen technology has evolved from a dream, based in science fiction, to something that many of us use daily. What are we dreaming of today in the field of technology that currently seems unattainable?

How innovative of us as a people to dream up something, and achieve what was once impossible.[/cz_title]

Not only does the internet serves as a source of entertainment and information but it’s also a valuable tool for business. It’s hard to imagine getting much done without the internet but by now you know that it can also open up your business to security vulnerabilities.

Here are 5 simple tips for improved online security:

1. Wi-Fi – proceed with caution

Free Wi-Fi is tempting, but be sure that you consider who is providing the connection. Public connections at the local coffee shop are usually unsecured and leave your machine open to outsiders. While these networks provide convenience, there are risks to be aware of.

2. Be smart while banking and shopping

Shopping from familiar websites is a good place to start. Stick with the reputable sites that are tried and true – like Amazon or eBay. Also, when checking out and finalizing the purchase, look for the ‘padlock’ symbol or the abbreviation ‘https’ in the address bar at the top of your browser. This will ensure that you are on a secure, encrypted part of this webpage. Keeping an eye on your bank statements for suspicious activity is always a good idea, among these other best practices for shopping online.

3. Use secure passwords

Passwords for logging into any website should contain a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters – as well as be different for each website that you log into. It can definitely be a pain to remember all of these passwords but ask yourself which is more of a pain – remembering these or recovering stolen personal information.

4. Lock your computer

When you walk away from your machine, lock it. In Windows, it is as easy as pressing the Windows key + L. On an Apple Mac, pressing “Control+Shift+Eject” will do the trick (unless you do not have an optical drive, then you can hit the “Power” key instead of “Eject”). This practice would be the equivalent to deadbolting the front door of your home. It acts as a deterrent to the bad guys as well as a line of defense. It may even be worth setting up a password lock on your Apple or Windows machine as well.

5. Don’t click on anything unfamiliar

If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is. If you get an email from an unknown source, do not click any of the links within it – and immediately report it to your IT department. If a window pops up while browsing a website, immediately close it. Familiarity is always your friend. Using your judgment and trusting your gut is the ultimate defense when online. Always play it safe!

Using the internet can be risky but with a little bit of caution, you can reduce the risk of a cyber attack.[/cz_title]