Big companies take information security seriously because a data breach can be costly and, in some cases, devastating to their brand and their bottom line. Small businesses have a lot on the line, as do individuals. It’s important to address the risks, whether you are a business owner or just trying to protect yourself and your family from the threats that can lead to identity theft, financial loss, and violation of your privacy.
There are five things you can do today to level up your security game and manage the risks that we – large enterprises, small businesses, non-profits, local governments and YOU – all face in today’s complex environment of remote work and the proliferation of devices, apps and hyper-connected communication and socialization.
#1 – Change your passwords. Think about the usernames and passwords you have used with your most sensitive accounts (bank account, social media, email, messaging apps). Do you have a favorite password that you’ve used for more than one of these? No bueno. If your username or password has been compromised in a data breach, it can be used against you to compromise all of the accounts where you are using those credentials. Confident that you have a good password that is safe to use? Check Have I Been Pwned to see if your email address has turned up in a data breach – https://haveibeenpwned.com/. You’ll probably change your mind.
#2 – Enable MFA. MFA is multi-factor authentication and also referred to as two-factor authentication (2FA) or 2-step verification, but if you’ve been keeping up with Profection Security, you already know what it is and why it’s so important. Take a few minutes to identify your most sensitive accounts and make sure that MFA is turned on. If you have the option, setup more than one second factor. One of the pitfalls of MFA is that if you get locked out of your account, it can be a real PITA to regain access if you cannot provide the second factor. Most services offer several methods for authentication including SMS (text messages), authenticator apps, email or security questions giving you some flexibility in providing the second factor. Setup at least two methods to give yourself a backup in the event that you lose access to the 2nd factor (e.g. lost or stolen devices).
#3- Use a password manager. None of us can be expected to create unique, strong passwords for ALL of our accounts and devices AND remember them. There’s nothing more frustrating than a forgotten password and having to jump through the hoops of resetting it – over and over again. Password managers solve this problem by keeping track of all of your accounts and the respective passwords. Use can even use the password manager to generate super strong passwords for your most sensitive logins. The password manager is secured by its own password, so save your best password for that and don’t forget it! Enable MFA on your password manager too. I use Roboform. It’s not the shiniest one out there, but it works and has been reliable for many years. Roboform is free, but for less than $30 per year you can get additional features and synchronize your passwords across all of your devices. I highly recommend this to minimize frustration with forgotten passwords and to make sure you have your passwords when you need them. There are plenty of other options – Google password manager – I’ve heard LastPass is a good one too.
#4 – Update your software. Phones, tablets, laptops, and every connected app and device (Fitbits, thermostats, smart speakers, etc.) all require care and feeding in order to keep them secure. Pick a device and update it today. For Windows computers, search Windows Update and for Apple devices go to Settings > General > Software update to see if you are running the latest secure versions of the software. Other devices running MacOS or Android have similar update methods. While it’s true that many of these devices update automatically, there are a variety of reasons why that may not happen so it’s up to you to check in every once in while and apply the updates.
#5 – Clean house. Remember that one time… at band camp… when you downloaded that app. And created that account. For that one thing you really wanted to do or play at the time? Take a look at the apps and accounts you’re not using and clean them up. It’s no enough to just delete the app, you need to delete the account as well. Haven’t used your Twitter account in 5 years? Delete the account and then remove the app from your computer or device. If you swipe through the apps on your phone, I bet you’ll find some that you’ve forgotten about. These accounts are a risk, especially if you’ve used the same, weak password that you’ve used before (see tip #1).
BONUS TIP: SMILE 🙂 If you’ve done at least one of these things today, you are more secure than yesterday. Share this advice with your friends and family who need a little security boost.
Stay connected. Stay safe. And stay well.
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