5 Easy to Follow Cybersecurity Tips for 2023
Global importance of cybersecurity is on the rise since 2022. Many businesses are falling victim to data breaches and ransomware attacks, and many individuals are unknowingly providing valuable personal information to threat actors through phishing scams. Could you be next? Here are our 5 easy to follow cybersecurity tips for 2023. Hey everybody – Stan here from Stan’s Tech Garage – Bringing you everything you need to know for successful IT business management.
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As we get further into the new year, we can expect an evolution from hackers.
They are developing new and effective methods of stealing sensitive data from unsuspecting victims.
Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do in 2023 to stay protected online.
Let’s get into a few of these tips!
2023 Cybersecurity Tips
Using Strong and Unique Passwords
One of the best things you can do right now for your online accounts is to change your passwords.
Having a strong password is the most essential step in securing your online accounts. By doing this, you lessen the chances of falling victim to brute force attacks.
Cybercriminals continue to use the trial-and-error method of guessing users’ login information.
The standard 8-character password can take a cybercriminal minutes to crack, especially with the proper software. But, using a 12-character password with at least one uppercase letter, one number, and one symbol would take a hacker 34,000 years to crack.
Also, make sure you are using different passwords for each of your accounts. This will prevent hackers from accessing your other accounts even if they are able to compromise one.
I would highly suggest using a password manager like Keeper because not only will they suggest strong unique passwords for each account, but they also store them in an encrypted vault only accessible through a master password.
Implement MFA
Once you’ve taken the steps towards better password hygiene, the next best thing to do to secure your accounts is to turn on Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA.
Implementing MFA protects your account with 2 or more forms of verification. These authentication factors can be a one-time pin, a facial or fingerprint scan, or a physical key.
This means that even if a cybercriminal gains access to your username and password, they will not be able to access your account unless they are able to provide the other authentication factors.
As a note, SMS authentication is not the best form for MFA, but it is better than nothing.
The reason to be wary of SMS authentication is that criminals have been known to call mobile providers and SIM-swap in order to gain access to your phone numbers.
Update Your Security Software ASAP
Updates for your devices and operating systems(OS) offer more than just new features.
They often update security patches that can stop hackers from exploiting flaws and accessing your sensitive data.
So, if you see a security update, do so as soon as possible.
Educate Yourself on Phishing Scams
Phishing is a type of cyberattack where threat actors pretend to be credible senders.
They pretend to be your bank, a trusted friend, or even your boss in an effort to obtain your personal information, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, passwords, and credit card info.
Phishing is one of the most common types of cyberattacks, especially among individuals.
Cybercriminals have evolved to include phone calls and SMS messaging in their schemes to target the average person.
The best way to protect yourself from phishing is by staying aware and educated. Be skeptical when clicking links. Avoid downloading any attachments from unsolicited emails and never give out personal information online.
Genuine businesses will never request this information via email, text message, phone call, or social media.
If you are a business trying to stay diligent, I highly suggest cybersecurity awareness training and testing your employees’ ability to spot phishing.
The number one cause of cyberattacks among businesses is an employee’s misjudgment.
Have a Reliable Backup System
It used to be very simple to recover data from ransomware. You once were able to easily restore data from a local backup.
But as threat actors improve their skills, it is much more challenging for victims to recover data after a breach.
This is why it’s so important to save your backups in a separate location.
You can do so on an external hard drive or store your data online using a cloud storage service like OneDrive or Google Drive.
Even if ransomware encrypts your device files, external backups won’t be affected.
Cybercrimes will continue to happen in the next coming months, but we can limit the risk of them attacking us. These 5 easy to-follow cybersecurity tips for 2023 is a great place to start.
Check out our last video, where we talk about the Cybersecurity Trends to Expect in 2023.
If you are a business in need of a cybersecurity plan for the rest of 2023, feel free to set up a call with me via the Calendly link below. I’d be happy to discuss the proper plan for you.
Click here to schedule a free 15-minute meeting with Stan Kats, our Founder and Chief Technologist.
STG IT Consulting Group proudly provides IT Services for Small to Medium Businesses in Greater Los Angeles. We’d love to see if we can help you too!
