Cyber Security Cheat Sheet

Be curious, but be cautious. Nobody is going to send you $14M from Nigeria, I can assure you. Don’t just click the link or respond.

Update your software, especially your operating system and other programs, such as Flash and Java. These security patches protect you from being breached.

Take a Phishing Quiz and help detect bad emails. A good one is OpenDNS (https://www.opendns.com/phishing-quiz)

Use complex passwords. (12345 is not a good password dude!) Passwords should be dynamic and changed frequently. Finally, make sure access from mobile devices follows the same strict password requirements.

Don’t recognize an email? Delete it. Matters of national security are likely never sent to you via email, ever.

Sensitive data, such as credit cards, social security numbers, and any other client data, is sensitive and interesting for hackers. Handle with care and act responsibly.

Mobile devices can be hacked too! Update them.

Get that antivirus protection layer. But remember that is it just one link in the chain and not the entire solution.

Avoid “free software” at all costs. Nothing in the world is free, but you knew this already, didn’t you?

Backup you “schtuff” every day, or at least frequently. In the event something goes wrong, you have another version to go back to. The easiest way to back up your data is by replicating your information on to a separate service with scheduled updates. Unfortunately, if your secondary data system remains connected to your network, it can also be vulnerable to malware attacks as well as any incident, like fire or a power surge, that could damage your primary database. As a result, for many businesses, a cloud-based data storage system offers a cost-effective and secure alternative. By storing your information in the cloud, you gain extra security and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can access your data whenever you need it.