National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Tips to be safe from the neverending cyber attack cycle

In current times, when most people are working from home, cybersecurity has become a hot topic. With remote access, risks have now increased, and organizations have become more vulnerable to cyberattacks than ever. Cybercriminals are playing on people’s fears around Covid-19 to conduct social-engineering based attacks. Whilst using new-age technologies and applications can be unusual for some, cybersecurity also becomes a major concern.

By practising some simple tips and tricks one can mitigate the risks. October being the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month; let’s see how one can protect themselves from damaging cybercrimes by following some simple steps.

Connected IoT Devices

IoT devices require a lot of information and connections to make them work properly. In the next ten years, each of us will own at least 10 connected devices and if not secured, each could be a pathway for an attacker to steal sensitive data. Each one of these will be a way into either our own or our employer’s sensitive data. Proving our identity will be at the heart of everything we do by 2030.

• Make sure you use devices from reputable manufacturers, pay attention to security patches, and update their default admin passwords.
• Never open messages or click on links from people you do not know (Email, Slack, Teams, Google Chat, etc.)
• Think about unique phrases or collections of words for passwords for each account that are easy to remember - but hard to crack!
• Never underestimate the power of cybersecurity awareness as human error is one of the top causes of most breaches.

• Applications, bots, devices and machines of all types use credentials to access the information they need to do their jobs – and that data can sometimes be sensitive. So, one needs to protect their access as well.
• Be sure to use Multi-Factor Authentication on every one of your accounts, especially where personal and financial data is stored. In fact, this has proven to be the most accessible and secure way to stop cybercriminals.
• Be careful not to share personal information on social media that can be used to break into your security questions; or predict your location or behaviour.

Securing Devices at Home and Work

With so many of us working remotely from our homes, corporate security can easily be an afterthought.

• To be productive and secure from anywhere, add biometric, multi-factor authentication when they connect to company systems and data.
• Mobile phones are our lifeline at home and work, but they can also be susceptible to attacks. Better authentication processes can help ensure our favourite devices to not become a tool for attackers to steal personal information.

Connected Medical Devices

Attackers are increasingly targeting hospitals and insurance companies to gain access to electronic medical records for the personal data they hold.

• Do not share your system login information with anyone.
• Protect against unintended access to patient data and make sure former employees no longer have access
• Fitness trackers and smartwatches are a great way to keep track of your health, but make sure you know how your personal data is being used, stored and protected.
• In hospitals – whether heart monitors or smart insulin pens – are as vulnerable to hacking and disruption as any other connected device. The security of these devices must be treated with the same urgency as PCs and servers.

The cybersecurity of any organization is only as strong as its weakest link.  This month is about making sure we all have healthy cybersecurity habits – keeping that link strong and secure. While a denial of service attack on a network will disrupt a business, one must prepare for everything and never underestimate simple attack scenarios.

Ransomware attacks may seem like something out of the movies, but it is impacting companies more and more.  These attacks are most impactful when providers cannot recover the data lost. Be sure to regularly backup your organization’s most critical information to foil any attempt in case of a disruption.