Cybersecurity Awareness Month – A Checklist
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect time to revisit your team’s cyber knowledge and take steps to improve your organization’s defenses. In this article, we’ll go over some of the key areas you should focus on, as well as some reminders for your employees.
Review Your Business’ Cybersecurity Posture
Passwords
Passwords are one of the biggest weaknesses of small businesses. This is because most business owners and their employees don’t take the time to learn and implement good password protocols. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to do just that.
Start With A Password Vault
Having a password vault for your team is a great first step towards good cyber hygiene. A password vault will:
- Let you store all of your passwords securely in one place
- Bring your team’s passwords together in one place
- Give you access to your team’s passwords so you can disable them before they are offboarded
- Help you create secure passwords that meet each site’s criteria
- Relieve password stress
Change Your Passwords Regularly
Once you set up your password vault, it’s a perfect time to go into each of your accounts and change the passwords. This should be done regularly in case there are breaches of accounts.
Use Secure Passwords
If you are using a password vault, we suggest you allow the vault to create and store your passwords. However, if you decide you want to create them yourself, here are some things to keep in mind.
- Don’t use words like Password123 or your name and birthday
- Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols
- Don’t use the same password twice.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication
One of the most effective ways to protect your accounts is to set up multi-factor authentication. If you have not set this up on your accounts, let Cybersecurity Awareness Month be the reminder you needed to do this.
What Happens If…
Do you have a plan in place in case of a data breach? Who would you call? What steps would you take? Although it is hard to have all the answers, it is important that you have a basic plan in place to make sure you are ready, just in case.
Is Your System Backed Up?
If you were to lose your data, would you have a backup in place or would you be at a total loss? It’s important to know that you can access your data no matter what happens. Let our team help you decide whether this is an important part of your cyber security plan.
Educate Your Employees
Employees don’t mean to be lazy or sloppy. Too often they just don’t understand the risks. It’s important to educate your employees on cybersecurity threats and best practices. Remind them to never click on links from unknown senders, to use strong passwords, and to report any suspicious activity immediately. Ask us how we can help you educate your employees and even test to see whether they are putting you at risk.
Stay Up To Date
Stay up to date on the latest cybersecurity threats. Cybercriminals are always coming up with new ways to exploit vulnerabilities, so it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. Be sure to subscribe to security newsletters and follow industry news sources.
Update Your Computers, Browsers, and Software
We know it takes time to stop and update your computer, browsers, and software. It interrupts the flow of your day. But, did you know that most of the updates you see contain security updates to protect your business and your data? These updates are more than an annoyance. They are an important step towards protecting your business.
