Cyber Security – Are you making these basic email mistakes?

Won the lottery or your bank accounts needs you to re-supply your password?

We’ve all experienced those phishing emails that once clicked give us the black screen of death. Hours of time wasted not just on the work that has now been plunged into darkness, but the hours that are then lost trying to fix the problem hopelessly.

Unfortunately, our emails are a vulnerable gateway for those looking to steal our data or implement a virus, and with big named brands being taken down by cyber attacks this year, it’s clear that no matter how big or small, cyber security is a concern for all businesses.

But the simple fact is, you don’t need to be a tech savvy IT manager to minimise the risk.

Keep it Separate

We can all be guilty of using our work emails for personal use and visa versa often because many companies do not have clear policies, especially in an age where many of us now have to work remotely.

A report by security firm Mimecast found that 79% of those surveyed used their personal email accounts for work. “What you may not realise is the personal information you share can end up being automatically backed up, mirrored and archived on systems and servers outside of your control, even after you’ve left the company” comments Ben Simpson from Microbyte.

Putting both your own personal information at risk and the businesses data, the best practice is to keep it separate to ensure there is a clear divide.

 Delete or Archive

With the revolutionary use of cloud platforms in business we are all now accustomed to never being without excess amounts of storage. In most cases we never run up against the storage limit, but rather than powering on through and escalating a mountain of old data, it’s essential to take precautions in removing data that’s no longer in use. Deleting this or even archiving it is essential to ensure there is no vulnerable data floating around in the cloud that can be captured.

 Lockdown

Passwords are the keys to a wealth of information about you and your business, but it may surprise you that many companies still use the default password that their software came with, meaning that if any hackers were to break into this software they would also be able to access your businesses data.

Changing passwords on a regular basis and using encryption software such as Norton Identity Safe, can enable you to generate unique codes that combine a variety of characters making it stronger and therefore far less vulnerable to hacking.

Admittedly these are basic solutions that all of your staff should be following, but it’s also recommended that you regularly consult with your IT provider to ensure your systems are up to date.