Cyber Hygiene

Ever wonder if you’re making it easy for hackers and scammers to get your data?

More than 11 billion records were stolen between 2008 and 2020, and the number’s only going up. Could it happen to you?

Through simple tools like email, hackers can exploit their way into accessing your entire network, accessing your company’s intellectual property and your users’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Your organization is then an easy target for identity theft, extortion and ransomware attacks; the types of events that shutter businesses and ruin livelihoods.

All recent cyberattacks can be distilled down to one clear cause: poor Cyber Hygiene.

Cyber hygiene is a set of practices for managing the most common and pervasive data security risks faced by organizations. The goal is to mitigate the common root causes responsible for many cybersecurity incidents, including data breaches, ransomware and virus infections. Vulnerabilities like missed patches, poor or inadequate backups, or misused passwords are all common ways hackers use to get into your network.

Patches and updates: When you’re busy running a business, you don’t have time for the daily minutiae of cyber hygiene, and patches and updates for executive team members often get forgotten. This leaves these key people in your organization with computers that are under-protected, especially as they travel and connect to less-than-secure networks.

Whaling: As an executive, business owner, or board member, you’re also a prime target for whaling – a specific type of attack targeting you specifically. You are easy to identify, you have the keys to a lot of information and authority, meaning hackers could crack into your organization’s network AND other networks of associates and colleagues through you. Hackers learn about and exploit your cyber habits to gain access to your email or computer. Once in, they look for ways to rip you off. A recent example left a hospital holding the bag for a $55,000 wire to the wrong account.

Passwords: The busier you get, the less time you have to remember dozens of unique passwords, but using the same weak password in multiple places leaves the door wide open for hackers. The easier your password, the more likely it’s already been breached.

Saved Personal Information: It’s not just your work computer, you might even be cutting corners on your personal computer and your personal accounts. In a recent analysis we found that 44% of people had personal banking information cached on their business computer!

What is your risk?

• Do you use easily exposed passwords, meaning they’re weak or reused?
• Could your computer connect to sites/networks unknowingly?
• Have you been putting off updating your patches?
• Has it been a while since you last backed your computer up?
• Are you unsure whether your applications are secure and updated?
• Don’t know where your sensitive data is stored?
• Do you store credit cards or social security numbers on your computer?
• Are you unsure what data is critical and where it’s located?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it’s time to implement basic personal lines of defense and make security more effective and internalized throughout your team.

Or call (800) 837-1239