Business Process Improvement, Data Security and Privacy, How-to Guides, Regulatory Compliance
Cybersecurity Awareness: Data Security and Privacy Tips
on October 28, 2019
October – A Month Dedicated to Protecting Your Information
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). As the Digital Age expands further into the home and office, it’s always important to take extra precautions when it comes to your data. Cybersecurity is a growing and flourishing field that helps prevent an innumerable amount of fraud around the globe. The importance of staying protected from online theft and cyber threats is not a trivial concern; it’s an important foundation in maintaining the integrity of a business or individual’s online identity.
It’s important to stay informed on the latest technological and educational updates in cybersecurity. As a nationally recognized event since 2004, NCSAM has spread awareness regarding a growing digital threat and the extra measures everyone can implement to ensure their data remains safe and secure.
Cybersecurity – Combating a Growing Threat
What began as email scams and viruses have grown into a far more elaborate form of fraud and information manipulation. As we put more and more of our lives online, we’re more susceptible to prying eyes and hands looking to make use of that information. However, emails are still an incredibly weaponized form of cyber manipulation. Scammers utilize emails and phone calls as forms of phishing – attempts to acquire sensitive and valuable information in the form of passwords, usernames and credit card numbers. Harmful malware and viruses can still infect computers and systems just as easily as they did 20 years ago. However, as viruses and the intricacies of identity theft have evolved, so has cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity has become one of the most important pillars of the age of information. Systems and software are meant to protect data centers, computers, phones, websites and more from unauthorized access, control, disruption or misdirection. Over the last few years, computer security, more commonly known as “cybersecurity,” has become far more advanced to deal with today’s growing threats. Spyware, trojan horses, worms, viruses and many more forms of malware still plague systems around the world. However, as threats continue to undermine online privacy, there are plenty of preventative steps and measures you can take to help protect yourself.
Privacy Tips and Tricks to Protect your Data
Control Your Data – Data manipulation starts and ends right at the source: the location of your data. Know who and what has access to your data at all times. Keep your phones and other devices locked when they’re not in use. Don’t pass passwords around to those who may misuse or unintentionally share them. Keep your information limited to those who strictly need it, at home or in the office.
Update Your Software – Designers and engineers are often just as concerned about cybersecurity as you are. That’s why it’s important to watch out for the latest updates for all apps and programs. The creative minds behind your favorite apps or programs are often more informed on threats to their systems. Having the most up-to-date versions of their software is one of the easiest ways to remain protected.
Utilize Strong Authentications and Passwords – Ensuring your data is protected by strong authentication walls can be one of the most formidable forms of online protection. Activating two or multiple-step processes to authenticate your identity further guarantees that no one has access to your information but you. Elaborate and intricate passwords can help foil the formulas of the many modern password-cracking tools used today.
Back-Up Your Data – Identity theft isn’t the only cyber threat to your data and information. Data disruption or misdirection can be incredibly costly to any business or business professional. Ensuring you have a back-up, or multiple back-ups, of your data that exist independent of each other, can be an invaluable asset and form of protection.
Why Should You Care About Formidable Cybersecurity?
As we place more trust and information in our devices and hard drives, we leave ourselves open to more attempts to fraudulently access our data. Everything from financial records and statements, personal conversations and events, to business operations and processes are all becoming increasingly automated and operated in off-site data storage centers. As companies and individuals place increased importance on their privacy, their data becomes more vulnerable to mischievous malware and scammers.
Having the proper precautionary protections in place helps to prevent the costly and draining effects of cyber threats and identity theft. Firmware and security programs provide software updates that keep you and your data protected from the latest threats, and even minor measures like those above can help keep you or your company from seeing costly losses. Commemorate this increasingly important National Cybersecurity Awareness Month by taking your data a couple of steps in a safer direction.
FSSI Safeguards Sensitive Customer Data
Data security and customer privacy are top priorities at FSSI. Contact us at 714.436.3300 to learn how we employ the latest and most advanced technologies to maintain the safety and integrity of information – and stay on top of cybersecurity.
