3 Cyber security practices you should know as an employee

With the rising emphasis on cybersecurity measures in almost every company, you might have come across IT security pamphlets at your workplace. Today, most business organisations have stringent cyber security measures in place to secure sensitive data of the company and its customers.

As office technology becomes more intuitive, cyber criminals and hackers are also stepping up their game. There are new kinds of cyber-attacks being generated every day. A strong cybersecurity program will protect companies from lasting financial consequences. Hence, it is important to do a comprehensive cybersecurity program to familiarize yourself with them.

Here are a few cybersecurity best practices that will help you protect your company data and IT systems from cyber-attacks.

 

1. Never click on unknown links, pop-ups or emails

 

One of the most common ransomware attacks includes phishing. Phishing is a technique to lure you to open malicious links with virus or malware embedded in them. As soon as you open them, your system becomes vulnerable to hacking attempts for stealing your data.

Hence, you must remember to look out for out-of-context emails from unknown senders and suspicious links at all times. Not only should you not click on them, you must also report them to your company’s cyber security team. You must also avoid giving out personal or company information even to your colleagues.

 

2. Always use strong and complex passwords for your system and accounts

 

Passwords are the primary defence for protection of your system or accounts. A simple password can be easy to guess and can be easily cracked by a cyber-criminal. On the other hand, complex passwords extend a greater level of protection against cyber-attacks.

The question remains: What makes a password easy or complex?

A strong password should be difficult to guess, should have multiple characters and should be long. Hence, avoid using your birthday or any other guessable date as your password. Also, don’t use ‘password’ as your password!

Here is an example of a strong password: M@ryhadaliitlel@mb2playwithher

Here is an example of an easy password: 23_10_1993Susan

As an added security, you should also keep changing your passwords regularly and use and encrypted password manager to manage multiple passwords.

 

4. Protect your company data as your own

 

It is common sense that you should never share your sensitive data like bank account or social security details to other people. It makes sense that you extend the same level of caution to your workplace.

Avoid sharing any kind of information without a purpose or context with anybody from outside or inside the company. Most often, hackers create legitimate looking email ids that can be difficult to spot. If you suspect that a website or email id is fake, report it to the cybersecurity team immediately.

A comprehensive cybersecurity course can familiarise you with more suggestions and guidelines to protect your company from cyber-attacks. Therefore, you should invest in a suitable cybersecurity course today to understand all aspects of cyber security measures in a company.