Whether you are in a work or home environment we have created the following list to help you stay safe.
1. Do not open something that you’re not sure of
“What’s the worst that could happen”
This can be something as simple as an “invoice” that is a link instead of a file. The biggest culprit of these threats come in the form of bit.ly links (http://bit.ly/1THBJ08 – Which is our site!). The best thing to do when something looks suspicious is to ignore it and make sure no else opens it.
2. Install good anti-virus software
“I have AVG Free, that’s good enough, right?”
Avoid free anti-virus software. It might be great for most viruses and malware that has been around for years, but in the case of anything new on the scene, most free programs will ignore the threat and let it do its thing. However we would suggest never to install more than one program as they will conflict with each other.
3. Create complicated passwords
“Pfft, abc123 is good enough”
Instead of using words or numbers use a phrase for example, “g1tt1ngy0#uah3ad” would be very secure and difficult to decrypt. This reduces the chance of your account being hacked.
4. If you get hacked change your password immediately
“They are in now, there’s nothing I can do”
If you find yourself in the situation that you’ve been hacked change your password as quickly as you can. This reduces the time that hacker has as when you change your password it should ask the hacker to log in again.
5. Avoid using online banking services on open Wi-FI
“All open networks are secure, I’ll be fine”
Open networks are the jackpot for hackers as the data that is being transferred between your device and the network can be easily hijacked. There are two ways around this, either:
- Avoid using a public network to access your online bank.
- Use a VPN to encrypt your data so there is less chance of your data being hijacked.
6. Update your device frequently
“My old phone software does everything that I need it to do”
Not only do you miss out on certain apps not being compatible with your device but you’ll miss out of various security updates. Older software has more loopholes that hackers can exploit, to fix this update your phone/tablet to the newest version.
7. Do not give out your sensitive data
“I have a millionaire cousin that wants to send me money? Amazing!”
No matter what your bank or service provider should NEVER ask for your data out of the blue. If you receive an email like this ring your bank or service provider to report the suspicious activity and avoid the email all together.
Please stay safe whilst using the internet but if you’re ever in need of support, ring us on 020 8819 6848 or contact us online