Christmas is nearly upon us and although it’s a time to unwind, it’s important to remember that cybercriminals won’t be taking a break for the holidays. In fact, they’re likely to be even more active.
Christmas is a great time of year for cybercriminals, because they are able to exploit the dip in vigilance. As employees leave the workplace to enjoy their Christmas parties, businesses become more vulnerable to systems being hacked. As individuals relax and enjoy food, drink and lots of festivities, it becomes easier for them to let their guard down.
Staying secure online doesn’t have to be difficult. We like to keep things simple. That’s why we’ve pulled together some quick, easy tips to help you stay safe online over the festive season.
- Make sure you set up multi-factor authentication across all applications where possible, so you can be notified if someone else tries to log into your account.
- Use strong, unique passwords for all of your accounts. If you’re struggling to think of a strong password, you can use a strong password generator.
- Keep an out for Christmas themed phishing emails or texts - such as giveaways, competitions, or discounts.
- Make sure you run the latest software updates before turning your equipment off for the holidays. If you are in-charge of the office equipment, we recommend that you also turn off wi-fi, networks and any other equipment whilst the office is closed.
- Also be sure to complete updates for any anti-virus software or anti-malware protection you may have on your device.
- Make sure you have firewalls installed, updated and set correctly.
- If you or your business are heading to a Christmas party, avoid sharing any evidence on social media until the event has finished. Hackers are more likely to attack if they realise an office and their network is unstaffed.
- Create backups and store them in a different location to your network. Or upload these to a cloud.
- If you are a business owner, ensure that you have created a plan of action for a cyber-emergency, for if one were to occur over the holidays. You can do this by establishing the responsibility of the appropriate personnel.
Here's an example of a hacker post, where they specifically focus on Christmas:
These simple steps will help you and others stay safe online this Christmas. If you’re interested in how you can further protect yourself, or your business, read on to find out how DynaRisk can help.
At DynaRisk, we understand that protecting yourself online can be difficult. That’s why we like to keep things simple with our easy-to-use solutions.
We combine personal risk factors with external data and algorithms to determine an individual's level of risk online. Our solution not only tells someone what their risk level is, but also what to do about it.
We also help companies protect their staff, clients and supply chain from cyber threats by enabling these people to take action for themselves.
For any further information, or if you’d like to book a demo click here