Even though the cyber security awareness month finds its origins in the United States of America, but it has slowly and steadily spread its wings and now is being observed across the globe. Governments have realized that in an ever-changing and improving digital universe, it is important to be aware of the cons of the digital way of life as well.
The theme for this year’s Cyber Security Awareness Month is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT”.
While “Own IT” emphasizes on understanding the devices and applications that we use on a day to day basis, “Secure IT” urges us to add an extra layer of protection and always stay vigilant against the cybercriminals who harbor malicious intent against their targets in order to siphon off their money. And finally, “Protect IT” emphasizes on protecting the digital footprint that we leave behind with our presence on the Internet.
Knowing the impact cyber security can create on end-users, our internal security experts have advised users to observe the following steps in order to remain in compliance with the theme of the year.
- Ensure that all software and applications on your devices are updated with the latest security patches.
- Routinely have a backup of your data that resides on the cloud.
- Strictly install apps from trusted sources only.
- To ensure that only you have access to your digital accounts, ensure a two way or a multi-way authentication protocol is in place.
- Create a strong and unique password for each website and account that you are logged into, over the internet.
- Limit the amount of personal information that you share across social media platforms.
- Use a robust security solution, like eScan’s Total Security Suite and eScan’s Internet Security Suite
- Observe caution while clicking on links that arrive in your email, from untrusted sources.
- Do not use a public Wifi while making a financial transaction and if you have to use one under any circumstances, then one should use a VPN software.
While personal security is Important, it is also of paramount importance to a user and their employer, when working in a corporate environment. Consequently, our experts suggest the following steps for corporates.
- Having a mandatory security training drill annually, so employees can be aware of the digital threats and they are equipped to respond to it appropriately.
- An ongoing training should be given to the employees given the fact that an annual training can fall short in providing information on the evolving threats.
- The in-house communication team can enhance the effectiveness of the training program so they should always be used as a medium to educate and demonstrate the employees on a regular basis about the threats that emerge from the internet and ways to mitigate them.
- Develop a mentorship program so that people from different departments who are passionate about cyber security are used as internal influencers to create awareness.
- Bring in guest speakers to increase employee engagement and develop a higher level of awareness.
- Partner with the Human Resources department to ensure, Cyber Security Awareness is embedded in the corporate work culture of the organization.
Hackers and cybercriminals are evolving with the advancement in technology but the ultimate truth is that your own security lies in your own hands. As unfortunate as it may seem, the only safe way in this age is to always remain vigilant while having the support of a potent Antivirus software that secures the user’s digital presence.
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