October serves as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and with the expanded ways that technology impacts our lives, it’s more important than ever to take proactive steps to protect our information.
If you don’t take these steps, you could be making it easier for cybercriminals to steal your personal and financial information. As we celebrate the month, your Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to help you build and maintain a strong foundation for data protection both at work and home:
— Use strong and unique passwords on your accounts and avoid using words that someone could guess — such as your name, birthday, pet’s name, etc.
— Safeguard all passwords in a secure place, like a password manager.
— Use multifactor authentication whenever it’s offered for your account logins.
— Update your anti-virus software on all of your devices regularly and perform software updates on apps and web browsers.
— Secure and encrypt your home router and Wi-Fi and consider putting smart devices on a different router than your computer.
— Stay aware of data breaches being reported in the news.
It’s important to keep your devices safely connected when you’re away from home as well. Use a VPN to secure your connections, especially when on public Wi-Fi networks.
Avoid “juice jacking,” which can occur if you plug your device into a compromised USB jack to charge it. This typically occurs in public places with high traffic, like airports and hospitals, and criminals use the USB connection to steal your data. It’s best to use a traditional AC power outlet or keep a “charging only” cable with you to charge your devices.
Safeguards are also needed to protect businesses and organizations, both small and large. Cybersecurity is not only about adding layers of security technology. It starts with an understanding of managing cybersecurity risks.
Your BBB suggests this four-step approach:
1. Scan: Figure out what important devices and information your business uses and what could be at risk for a cyber incident.
2. Safeguard: Put simple protections in place to keep your data and devices safe.
3. Spot: Keep an eye out for anything unusual and make sure your team knows how to properly spot and report problems.
4. Stabilize: Build or update your digital defense plan and be ready to act fast if something goes wrong.
Your digital defense plan should involve your entire staff, be fully documented and reevaluated often since technologies are always changing.
Since each employee has a different role and uses different tools and systems, everyone can help ensure no critical programs or software are left out of your plan. Your employees can also help you identify potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses in your systems.
Once your plan is set, keep a written record of all your cybersecurity policies, procedures and updates. Give a copy to everyone you employ, including vendors that work in the digital space.
BBB has established a Cybersecurity HQ page that offers detailed information on the many ways you can protect your workplace and home from cybersecurity attacks. There’s also a variety of other resources to help businesses with cybersecurity prevention, including tips from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission and the Secret Service.
Should you find that you or your business are the victim of a cybercrime or identity theft, BBB has resources to help you with the steps to recovery as well.
SPRING SHRED DAY
While we just held our Fall Shred Day, BBB has already set our spring event date and hope you’ll make plans to join us, as this offers an opportunity to proactively protect your identity.
BBB’s next Shred Day will be 9 a.m. to noon April 10 in the parking lot of Coca-Cola Bottling Co. at 2111 W. Shepherd Road in Chattanooga (near Exit 1A/Airport off Highway 153).
Paper documents and hard drives containing sensitive data will be destroyed and disposed of safely on site. The Hamilton County Coalition will also take outdated and unneeded medications for safe disposal, and you can bring electronics for recycling.
Please limit documents to three large trash bags per person and limit hard drives to four per person.
Thank you to our event partners: AARP, Resource 1 Tier 3 Data Security, Hamilton County Coalition, and River City Shredding; and to our sponsors: A-1 Barricades, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Cumulus Media Chattanooga, Double D Piping, EPB, First Horizon Bank, Lawson Electric, Local 3 News, and Sunny 92.3.
Michele Mason is president of the Better Business Bureau in Chattanooga.
