By: Tim O’Pry | Chief Security Officer
Unfortunately, the “vision” for cybersecurity is anything but 20/20.
The crooks continue to get more sophisticated with additional tools like “deepfakes” that will add a new dimension to what is possible. No amount of legislation nor penalties are going to protect us—the consumer. When it comes to enforcement, the cyber landscape is worse than the wild west. Over the past year, there have been numerous successful attacks on banks, hospitals, local governments, and utility infrastructure—and these are only the ones we know about. No one in the industry doubts there are always many others still waiting to be discovered. The average discovery time for businesses that have been compromised is six months.
If Fortune 500 companies are unable to protect themselves, what hope does Joe Citizen have? The odds are that a frightening amount of your personal information is easily accessible on the internet, just waiting for someone to exploit. Fortunately, if you follow our Top 3 ½, you are likely doing better than most of your friends and neighbors. The good news is that the best advice on how to protect yourself remains the same. Take control of your online security and identity by being proactive and monitoring your accounts and credit. If or when a problem does occur, the sooner you identify it, the less damage it is likely to cause.
Bonus Tip No. 1 – DON’T CLICK ON LINKS IN EMAIL!!!
More than 90% of consumer cyber attacks are believed to originate from phishing emails, where someone is fooled into clicking on a link or opening a file. If you do nothing else, then treat your email inbox like an Ebola-infected Petri dish. A nasty infection could be just a click away.
Bonus Tip No. 2 – DON’T CLICK ON ADS/LINKS ON WEB PAGES, EVEN ON LEGITIMATE WEBSITES.
Crooks place ads too. If you are not using Google Chrome as your browser, you should be. Google continues to add security features to Chrome to help protect users from malicious sites, links, and potential phishing attempts. If you are using Chrome, make sure the safe browsing feature is enabled. It is turned on by default, but make sure it hasn’t been accidentally disabled. Personally, I use Gmail with Chrome plus Webroot endpoint protection and of course LastPass password manager. This combination will provide an excellent level of protection for all of your computing devices.
Still not following our Top 3s? Make a resolution for 2020 and get started NOW! The complacent are the cyber crooks’ favorite prey. Happy holidays and here’s to a cyber-safer 2020! As a Henssler client, should you have a cybersecurity-related question or concern, we are here to help! Contact us at cybersecurity@hensslerfinancial.com, or through your associate.
Additional Resources
Cybersecurity 101 Education Module
Cybersecurity 102 Education Module