1. One Universal Password
Every year the reports are out listing the worst passwords recorded for the year and with zero surprise, “123456” and “password” are the front-
runners. Having one single password for every account possible can be an open invitation to those hackers who are looking to crash a party.
Solution: Password managers will generate random and secure passwords. The best
part is that you only need one password to remember to retrieve all of them! That simple.
2. Trusting and Clicking Links and Attachments
Attacker’s these days are craftier and more cunning than ever before. Their messages look legitimate and study their victims to appear safe and trustworthy.
Next thing you know they unleashed a virus and gained access to your systems. Sometimes they can even appear to come from sources you know and trust. They are that good.
Solution: Educate. Double check URLs by hovering over the link and read where the link
is really taking you. If it seems off, sketchy, or completely incorrect, don’t click. Also, avoid opening any attachments you weren’t expecting.
3. Update Procrastination
Have you ever been stuck in the “remind me later” update rut? The more you procrastinate between updates and patches the more vulnerable you have become to exposure. Nearly half of the common vulnerabilities and exposures exploited last year were taken advantage of within two weeks of the update release.
Solution: Automatic update settings. Take the thinking right out of it.
4. Using Public Wi-Fi
GASSSSP. But it’s free! Everyone has been tempted to latch onto free Wi-Fi whether you’re a remote user at Starbucks or waiting in the airport terminal, it’s risky. “Free” and “public” doesn’t always guarantee secure.
Solution: Consider mandating use of a VPN. The users’ browsing sessions will be much more secure and traffic will be encrypted.
5. You’re Responsible For You
Although we’d like to think we can blame it on the IT Dept. and perhaps it’s easier to do that, it’s not solely their responsibility. Majority of cyberattacks stem from an
end-user clicking on something that they shouldn’t have in the first place. There’s only one solution for this.
Solution: Education, training, and reinforcement. Learning end-user security best practices will help transform your team into a stronghold instead of an open back door.
Is it time to get serious about cyber awareness? Check out our new CyberSecurity courses for professionals and end-users!