Cybersecurity for the Season: Tips to Prevent Threats and React Wisely
Strengthen Your Cybersafety by Planning Ahead and Knowing How to Respond.
As technology becomes an even greater part of our lives, cybersecurity risks continue to evolve. Threats can occur at any time, but they can increase during the holiday season. The busy period brings more distractions, increased online activity, and even season-specific scams.
To protect yourself and your data, it is helpful to stay informed and have a plan in place to both prevent and react to threats.
Prevention:
It is important to be proactive in preventing cybercrime before it happens. Here are suggested actions to help reduce your risk:
- Use passwords and pins that are strong and unique without easily identifiable information.
- Update your software regularly. Companies often release security patches to address vulnerabilities.
- Think carefully before clicking on suspicious links in emails and on websites.
- Enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible (requires a user to present a combination of two or more credentials to verify identity to login).
- Only use secure internet connections, as cybercriminals can intercept public unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
- Recognize that scams may come via email, text, or telephone. Confirm messages are legitimate by contacting senders directly.
- Be wary of any unsolicited offers that require you to act quickly or that apply pressure to send money.
Reaction:
Occasionally, despite best efforts to stay safe, cybercrime can happen. If you are compromised or your accounts have been hacked, it is crucial to act quickly. You can follow these steps right away:
- Unplug your devices.
- Alert everyone who may be affected.
- Secure your accounts by changing your password and logging out of all devices. Be sure to turn on multi-factor authentication.
- Check for changes by looking for strange logins, messages, or transactions. Ensure the recovery email/phone number is correct, and remove any apps or connections you do not recognize.
- Protect your devices by running a full antivirus/malware scan. Continue to do updates for your devices and apps.
- Protect other accounts by changing passwords on any accounts using the same password. Turn on login or security alerts.
- Stay safe going forward by watching for suspicious emails, texts, or calls, and monitoring your bank/credit card accounts.
In today’s fast-paced digital world, protecting yourself from ever-changing cybersecurity threats can feel challenging. The holiday season can be full of activity and joy, but it is imperative to remain vigilant. Fortunately, by following fundamental cybersecurity practices, you can help prevent incidents before they occur. Or if something does happen, having a plan in place can help reduce the impact.
When it comes to cybersecurity, awareness can be a strong defense. At Welch & Forbes, we strive to keep our clients up to date on a variety of topics that may be of interest throughout the year. If you would like to learn more about our client-centric approach to managing investments and related services, please contact us for a conversation.
Source: https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cybersecurity-best-practices CISA.gov (www.cisa.gov) is the official website of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the online source for homeland security information relating to cyber and infrastructure security.
Disclosure: The information contained herein reflects the opinions of Welch & Forbes, LLC based on information believed to be reliable as of the date of publication. It is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, tax, or legal advice. It is not a representation – expressed or implied – as to its accuracy, completeness, or correctness. This communication does not constitute a recommendation or solicitation to purchase or sell any securities or investment services. Welch & Forbes, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.