The holiday season is busy for everyone– including cybercriminals. As we head into the holiday shopping season, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the cybersecurity risks that come with increased online activity.
With so many people shopping online, there are more opportunities for malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities and steal sensitive data. From data breaches to malware attacks, there are many ways for hackers to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers
Before you hit the checkout, make sure you’re taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your business data. Read General Informatics’ quick tips to keep personal data protected while browsing for deals this year
Keeping Personal Data Secure
- Use strong passwords and change them often.
- Shop smart - only buy from reputable websites that have a secure checkout process.
- Avoid clicking on deals with links or attachments that sound "too good to be true".
- Install a reliable security software package and keep it up to date. (Microsoft Defender is free anti-malware software included with Windows, and it's kept updated automatically through Windows Update)
- Be careful about what you share online...especially personal information like your address, vacation dates, or credit card number.
If you’re a business owner, there is more than just personal information to worry about this holiday season. Keep reading for some cybersecurity best practices to keep your sensitive business data protected:
Quick Tips to Secure Business Data
- Strengthen your password policies. Now is the time to make sure all of your employees are using strong, unique passwords for all of their accounts. If you haven’t already, consider implementing two-factor authentication (2FA) or biometric authentication for additional protection.
- Encrypt all sensitive data. This includes credit card information, customer addresses, and anything else that could be used to commit fraud or identity theft. By encrypting this data, you make it much harder for cybercriminals to access it even if they do manage to breach your system.
- Educate your employees. The leading cause of a cyber-attack is human error. Your employees are your first line of defense against cybercrime. Make sure your staff is trained in identifying emerging threats and knows not to click on unknown links or attachments. Prepare ahead of time with regular security training and have a clear process in place for incident response and reporting.
- Keep your software up to date. All software—including operating systems, applications, and security tools—should be kept up to date with the latest patches and security updates. This will help close any gaps that hackers could exploit to gain access to your system.
- Backup all critical data regularly. If your system is breached, you’ll want to have a backup of all critical data so you can quickly restore operations. This includes customer data, financial records, and anything else that would be difficult or impossible to recreate. In the event your company is targeted by ransomware, having sufficient backup data is critical to avoid greater financial loss
