Common sense cyber security tips

Is your business protecting itself online? Paul Simms outlines some common risks and ways to ensure your business is safe. 

As we progress through the second decade of the new millennium you would have thought that we had got a real handle on the issues of network and cyber security. Sadly that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Consequently I would like to offer a few basic common sense suggestions that if followed could improve the risk faced by mid sized businesses.

Common Risks

For the most part today’s threats, posed by Cyber criminals, as we move through cyberspace fall into two categories;

the receiving of dodgy emails, these can manifest themselves as bargain offers for products or services we did not ask to receive, or invitations for us to view something of interest on a website we have never heard of, or

the inadvertent “running” of a computer virus, caused either by opening an infected email or visiting an infected website.

I think we all accept and agree by now that installing and using regularly updated anti-virus software is a must these days. But you know you can mitigate the risk substantially by using “common sense”. Yes absolutely I’m convinced… Engaging the brain and not just idly trawling the net with the brain in neutral can do wonders to improve everyone’s security.

Seven Basic Tips

So with out further ado, here are my seven basic tips to help you to not fall foul of the geeky pranksters and cyber criminals:

1)   You get an email from an unknown person offering you riches, some life improving medication or knowledge or maybe pictures you just have to see. Delete it immediately do not for one second think of opening the message or replying to it and most emphatically do not click on any link within it. By replying to these types of phishing emails you are confirming to the sender that your address is active which will attract more and more phishing attempts. Delete them, delete them, delete them!

2)   You get a Skype, Facebook or other social network request from someone you have never met in person or spoken to in the real world. Delete it don’t reply to it.

3)   When surfing the web keep an eye on the URL that appears in your browser’s address bar, is it what you expect to see. In the same way if you are about to follow a link from a site, while hovering over the link take a look at the target URL you should see this visible at the bottom left of your browser. Is this what you expect? Look carefully; beware of the very similar URL! It only takes one character or numeral to be incorrect and you could end up somewhere entirely different to where you expected to be sent.

4)   If you get a phone call from someone telling you that you have a problem with your PC that they can help you with. Just say goodbye and hang up. Even if they say they are from Microsoft! Microsoft would never call you directly regarding a problem with your PC.

5)   You’ve just arrived on a site and it seems to be telling you that your PC is running slow! Oh really! It found that out in just milliseconds? Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? It probably is, so ignore it. There’ll be some scam linked to it to relieve you of some of your hard earned cash.

6)   You might also want to think about modifying some of the security settings in your browser. Usually found in your browser’s “preferences” tab, you can maybe turn off “pop-ups”. Do you really need them? And how about  JavaScript, do you want to routinely allow sites you visit to be able to run program code on your PC when you visit them? It might be smarter to only turn this feature on when you are on a “known safe site” that requires it to be on for you to appreciate the full benefit of the site.

7)   Do ensure that you regularly install the security patches that your OS (Operating System, e.g. Microsoft, Apple, etc.) Company release from time to time. These are an absolute no-brainer! Security patches are issued as a result of a vulnerability being discovered and subsequently fixed.

In Summary

By following these very basic tips you should remain relatively safe while online. In fact, not that I would recommend this to everyone, my colleague’s PC has not had any active anti-virus program installed for several years now, we took it off because it was slowing the PC down too much. She follows these simple guidelines religiously and her PC remains trouble free. She is not overly plagued by spam or phishing type emails and has remained free of any malicious code. Like many people she only uses the PC for emails, Facebook, and the odd online purchase from known companies. If you require more stringent security safeguards then do consult the professionals. There are many companies offering consultancy in Cyber Security these days, but do shop around. Look for consultants with independently certified professionals whose credentials can be checked. I hope this simple advice helps keep you safe out there.

Paul Simms is an internet marketing specialist who has a keen interest in email and cyber security. While working with clients in these industries Paul has gained a vast knowledge of the technology behind securing emails and devices.