Our Top Tips to Keep Your Data Safe

“It won’t happen to me”. Believe me, it probably will, so don’t be a target. We’re all at risk, no matter how vigilant we are, however the more vigilant you are the less likely you are to fall victim to a cyber-attack. The stakes are high, and you have a responsibility to protect your company’s data, just as you do to protect your own. The following tips below combined with vigilance will greatly reduce the risk. 

Tip 1 – Keep all software up to date.

Make sure your system and programs are up to date and always install the latest security updates for all your devices.

• Turn on automatic updates
• Use the most common web browsers, Chrome or Firefox, as they get frequent automatic security updates.
• Keep any browser plugins up to date.

Tip 2 – Beware of Phishing Scams – DON’T CLICK 

Phishing scams are a constant threat and cybercriminals are getting better and more creative in how they trick and catch their victims.  

• Beware of suspicious emails and never click on unknown or untrusted links, no matter how legitimate they look. The links on the page are legitimate, however, if you don’t trust them, don’t click on them. 
• Never divulge financial information to a third party online and don’t get tricked by an email that claims to be from the boss or supplier that wants you to redirect funds or make a payment.
  • Invoice Redirect Fraud
  • CEO Fraud Scam

Tip 3 – Don’t answer or call back numbers that you don’t recognise.

• This one isn’t related to your computer but may still save you a packet. If don’t do business internationally, you don’t need to worry about international numbers. If you then make sure you recognise and trust the number that is calling you. The Wangiri Missed Call Scam has been doing the rounds for a few years but is still catching people out.

Tip 4 – Practice good password management

We all have far too many passwords and it’s easy to take shortcuts and use the same one over and over. Lastpass is a great free password manager, that I use myself and is a great tool if you have lots of accounts to manage. For good password security – Think Secure and treat your passwords, like your underpants.

• Change them often
• Don’t share then with anyone
• Don’t leave them lying around

Tip 5 – Never Leave Your Devices Unattended

You are responsible for the physical security of your personal or business devices.

• When you leave your desk, log out of your desktop
• If you keep sensitive information on a flash drive, then ensure that it is stored securely
• Ensure all mobile devices are configured to lock the screen when not in use.

Tip 6 – Install a good security solution

Only install security solutions that are known and trusted. If you get a flash message on your screen saying that your computer or device is infected and it’s not from a piece of security software that you installed, odds are that this is malicious. At IT.ie we highly recommend ESET Endpoint Protection for your business.

Tip 7 – Backup – Backup – Backup

With all the will in the world, it is still possible that you can fall victim to a cyberattack and accidents do happen. Data loss can occur for a number of reasons including:

• Cyber-attack
• Disaster
• Accidents
• Loss
• Human error

Research has shown that up 60% of businesses that suffer a major data loss, go out of business within 6 months. If you want to secure your data and ensure business continuity, then you really must have secure, online data backup solutions. At IT.ie we provide a number of online and cloud backup solutions, that are secure and in compliance with GDPR. Feel free to drop us a mail to hello@it.ie or call (01) 8424114, if you have any questions.