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achimjou-blog · 5 years ago

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Cyber Security Awareness Tips

Cybersecurity (and cybersecurity awareness) are critical to your survival in an industry dominated by growing virtual crime. Certainly, most people know about costly identity theft and reputation-destroying network hacks, which seem to be on the news almost every day. Organizations implement firewalls, comprehensive cybersecurity defense systems, and sophisticated IT protocols to keep themselves safe from online threats.

Why is cybersecurity awareness important?

Did you know that 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error? On top of that, only 38% of global organizations state that they’re prepared to handle a sophisticated cyber-attack.

And worse, as much as 54% of companies say they have experienced one or more attacks in the last 12 months—this number rises every month.

Social engineering is a current favorite tactic among cybercriminals—the psychological manipulation of victims to convince them to willingly or unwittingly surrender private data that is then subverted for nefarious purposes. Another prominent technique is phishing, where phony emails or links are spread to employees who then have their login credentials mined. In fact, 95% of cyber attacks are a result of phishing scams so phishing awareness training is essential.

Alongside these two, malware is also a constant threat, with people downloading apps or software that is designed to compromise their devices or provide network access to hackers...read more at - Fraudwatchinternational.

Why cybersecurity awareness training is important

Working remotely/ telecommuting

Remote working is now a reality, thanks to cloud technology. The so-called telecommuting work-style has spread to the extent that organizations have separate policies for work-from-home employees with restricted and redefined ways to analyze productivity, profitability, and the title of “best” workers.

30 million people of the U.S. workforce work from home at least once a week.

It is estimated that 50% of the total workforce will work remotely by 2020.

The pattern of working remotely, using cloud technology, has increased the level of comfort but has equally brought organizations greater risk of uncertain intrusions. Employees are responsible for using any personal endpoint devices and should restrict the usage of official equipment only for corporate purposes. Having a cybersecurity awareness training educates remote employees on how to handle official devices when away from the official infrastructure.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

The fancy world of the internet has captured us to the extent where we can no longer imagine life without it. Employees connect personal devices to company networks or use them for official work. These devices are interconnected with other devices and networks, which only compound vulnerabilities.

The most popular MIRAI botnet attack, which was the largest DDoS attack ever, was launched on a service provider using an IoT botnet.

Increased government regulations

CAT is no more a choice, with many government regulations stressing on safe computer and network usage policies in the last two decades, an employee awareness program has become crucial. Government agencies and legislators have stressed on the importance of public and private enterprises protecting their IT assets and digital information. Government regulations have now defined how organizations behave with respect to safety standards, making it mandatory for employee training as well...find out more at - Eccouncil.org.

Don’t abandon your devices unlocked/unattended

Be it a computer or a mobile phone, the electronic devices that we own contain personal data on them that can destroy us if it got in the wrong hands. Make it a practice to never leave your phones unlocked and/or unattended at any place.

Be extra careful while clicking links and attachments in emails

The threats posed by phishing are real and millions of people find that out the hard way every year. Always be super-wary before clicking on attachments and links because, even though the sending party might look legitimate, there is a possibility that they might not be...get more to know at - Infosecinstitute.com.

Cyber Security Awareness Tips

Phishing Emails

Never respond to requests for personal information via email. Businesses will never ask for personal information in an email.

Do not enter personal information in a pop-up screen.

Do not click on any links listed in an e-mail message. Copy and paste the URL into your browser.

Marking phishy emails as spam in gmail will make it more likely gmail will identify future messages as spam for you and others with NMU accounts.

Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and update them regularly.

Dispose of Information Properly

Destroy/shred hard copy confidential documents that contain personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and health records.

Ensure you are using the right tools when destroying and disposing of personal information or media storage from your computer and mobile devices.

Ethics - Be a good cyber citizen

Do not engage in inappropriate conduct, such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking or rude and offensive behavior.

Do not do something in cyberspace that you would consider wrong or illegal in everyday life.

Do not impersonate someone else. It is wrong to create sites, pages, or posts that seem to come from someone else.

Adhere to copyright restrictions when downloading material from the Internet.

Do not use someone else's password or other identifying information.