With recent cyberattacks exposing millions of individuals’ personal information to the World Wide Web, now is the time more than ever before to strengthen your data from future attacks. With these 3 easy steps, you can prevent your data from being leaked.
1. Update your device and applications
Updates not only provide new features to your favourite applications, but they also serve as a way to patch security vulnerabilities. Continuing to keep your devices and applications updated to the latest will ensure that cyber criminals cannot exploit known vulnerabilities from older versions.
To make updating easier, consider turning on automatic updates. This will allow your device to update when it’s charging and connected to a trusted Wi-Fi network. You can find more information on your device’s manufacturer website.
2. Turn on multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is an authentication method that requires at least two or more proofs of identity. This can be in the form of a fingerprint scan, a random pin or a one-time password.
With MFA enabled, your protection against cyberattacks will be doubled. In a scenario where your password is compromised, a cybercriminal will also need to gain access to your other proof of identity. This proof of identity may be protected behind another password, or can only be accessed physically, making it difficult to near impossible for a cyberattacker to obtain your personal information.
3. Backup your files
Backing up your files is a sure way to safeguard your data in the event that something goes wrong. This can be done by setting up automatic backups, taking the hassle out of having to remember to back up your data on a regular basis. Alternatively, you can back up your data to an external storage device or an online storage provider like Google Drive.
A good rule to remember is the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy. This means you have three copies of your data, two held locally on two different two media devices and one held externally. In an ideal scenario, you would have two copies on a hard and on a CD, with an extra backup on Google Drive as previously mentioned.
If you have any questions or general enquiries, please contact Central Coast BAS Bookkeeping & Payroll at 0407 236 103 or ccbookkeeping@email.com.
