At a time when we have enough to worry about, the newsroom at Action Fraud doesn’t make for jolly reading:
“Coronavirus-related fraud reports increase 400% in March”
“Coronavirus scam costs victims over £800k in one month”
“CTSI issues warning over COVID-19 ‘home-testing’ scams”
The health of the nation might be at risk, but cyber-criminals are having a field-day. They know that fear and uncertainty affecting people’s judgement. And they also know that working from home can mean lower security, and forgetting usual good-practice.
So it’s important to your business to make sure that you are resilient and remain secure.
Here are 6 simple steps you can take to do just that:
1. Choose good passwords
You need a different password for everything. Don’t be tempted to use the same one – it only needs to be compromised once, and you’ve opened access to all your accounts. And make sure it’s a good, strong password. Length is the key here – the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) suggests using 3 random words strung together.
2. Keep your devices updated
Yes, it’s a pain in the neck waiting for the latest update to download and install, and you’ve got more than enough to
do already, whilst juggling the kid’s home working, but this is a must!! If you don’t keep your devices updated, they’re not protected by the latest security updates.
3. Keep your team talking!
Just because you’re not in the office together, doesn’t mean you can’t talk. Make sure you have a way of “chatting” so that you can immediately check out anything suspicious with the rest of your team. This way, you won’t be tempted to click on that link without checking whether it’s genuine or not… You could use Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, or any other widely-trusted method.
4. Be vigilant with emails and other messages
Nothing new here, but don’t rush, or be tempted to automatically click on anything just because it says “Coronavirus” in the title! Check email addresses and URLs are genuine, and check twice before clicking on links or opening attachments. Also note: text messages are being associated with more and more fraud, so the same warning goes for them…
5. Data protection matters!
Your entire staff should still be adhering to your usual data protection policy, even whilst working from home. Client and business data should be stored appropriately. Staff should have access to a protected online storage account at all times.
6. Share these steps
Let’s make sure that as many businesses as possible are protecting themselves and each other by following these guidelines.
For any further advice on how to stay secure, give us a call on 0114 287 0510 or email us at info@datamills.co.uk. Staying secure online is what we do, and we’d love to help you with whatever you need to achieve that.