At FQM Ltd, we encourage all organisations to try to stay as safe as possible online. Keeping safe online is growing increasingly important as more people are becoming skilled in hacking. What would happen if your organisation’s network was hacked? Would you have a contingency plan?
Here, we are going to look at the importance of keeping safe online and give you some tips on how to achieve this. Keep reading to find out more.
Why Keep Safe Online?
Every single day, people around the world fall victim to hacking. Their personal information and their organisation’s information is taken and sometimes even held to ransom. In the workplace, sensitive information being leaked could cause serious issues and so we need to be vigilant and protect ourselves against these kinds of issues. You must take steps to protect yourself and your organisation and encourage other members of staff to do the same.
Creating Unique Passwords
It can be easy to fall into the trap of using the same passwords for everything that you need access to, but this is something which you should try to avoid. Keeping safe online is all about being unpredictable. If a hacker knows your pet’s name and your lucky number, then they might just be able to figure out your password.
To combat this, we must consider changing our passwords regularly and avoid using passwords that are obvious or have been used many times in many locations. For those running a business, policies to change passwords and implement password strengths is important, especially if the information you retain is of critical importance. Many companies now consider putting policies in place to use phrase based passwords, something that the experts believe could be more effective at protecting our systems.
Making Updates
One of the riskiest things when it comes to keeping safe online is to avoid making updates. Whether this is your software or your operating system that is asking for a scheduled update, you must make sure that you are allowing for this. The reason behind this is that these updates often include security updates which can protect your organisation from unwanted attacks.
Try to make these updates but always read the terms and conditions carefully. If you can give the security on your system a boost, then why not take advantage of this?
Also do remember some important points, often the insurance you get from your bank or your insurance provider, may rely on your updating your security on your IT systems and following a robust security policy, failing to do this could result in not only loses from the attack, but also loses of non-paid out insurance.
Consider Two-Factor Authentication
One of the best ways to keep your organisation safe when using critical online systems like banking and accounting systems is to turn on two-factor authentication. This requires both your standard login and a second form of security access in order to gain access to the network. This is often known as 2FA and it is very useful for those concerned with protecting their organisation.
When you use 2FA, you might be sent a code to your mobile phone which can then be entered. There are, of course, other ways to do this so make sure to have a look.
Check What You Share Online
Finally, it is often a good idea to check what kind of information is available online. This is the information that can be used to figure out passwords and you might not even realise that you are sharing it. For example, have you recently posted an image of your dog with their name on social media? Is their name in your network password? This could put your organisation at risk, and it is something that many people do not realise.
Take a look at your current social media privacy permissions. Change everything to private and this will reduce the risk of having someone hack your account.
Key Takeaways
Whether you are a business owner, an information security officer or a QHSE professional, having effective security online is very important. A mistake by anyone can have a massive impact on the business and so you need to ensure that you are keeping safe online.
Follow the advice that we have given you here and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need some assistance. FQM Ltd is always happy to help out wherever your organisation needs it most.