The Ultimate Checklist for Online Security

There are countless cyberthreats in the world today, and it can be difficult to know whether you’re protected. Thankfully, you can do a lot to ensure you’re keeping your technology, privacy, and sensitive information safe. With this checklist, you’ll be able to secure your computer from hackers and protect your data.

USE STRONG PASSWORDS

While this may seem like a no-brainer, it’s crucial that you use strong passwords when creating accounts on apps and websites. Most sites require a special character, upper and lower case letters, and a certain minimum character count. But there’s still more you should be doing. It’s important to use unique passwords for each site to avoid hackers getting into one site and using the same password to infiltrate another. If you have trouble keeping track of all your passwords, look into a password management application. ITque recommends changing passwords for sensitive accounts at least every quarter. Every six months is probably not enough.

DON’T CLICK UNFAMILIAR LINKS

We’ve all been there. You receive a new notification on Facebook Messenger, and it turns out to be a message from a friend with a link for a “Free Discount!” on sunglasses, weight loss pills or something else. Most of us know this is spam, and we quickly delete the message from our inboxes without clicking the link.

Whether it’s on Facebook Messenger, a text message, or an email, you should never click a link you don’t recognize. By clicking it, you’ll allow the spammer to access your personal information and contact book or friends list, and they will become targets too. When you do receive a link like this, be sure to contact the sender so they can change their password.

ITque recommends KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform. KnowBe4 trains employees to know the difference between legitimate and malicious emails by sending “fake” phishing emails to your employees to see who clicks on them. “Clickers” on these phishing emails are identified and educated about how to identify phishing emails in the future.

MAKE SURE YOUR BROWSER IS SECURE

While you may choose your browser based on which is fastest, it’s more important to base your choice on its level of security. As you surf the web, your internet provider can log the pages you visit and advertisers can follow you from site to site. Hackers can access this data and use it to target you with an attack.

To avoid this, clear your browsing history often and use the features that allow for private browsing.

DON’T USE PUBLIC WI-FI

Coffee shops and places with free Wi-Fi seem like they’re convenient and cost-effective ways to save on data costs and get work done. If you have to use a public network or hotspot, be extremely careful. Treat this network as though every page you visit will be monitored, and avoid entering your usernames and passwords on websites you visit.

BACK UP YOUR DATA

Backing up your data won’t necessarily keep your information private and secure, but it will allow you to avoid losing it. Cyber attacks, technology crashes, and system failures happen, so it’s crucial to keep a backup of documents, photos, files, and more. The cloud also can serve as a great option for this. It’s best to have multiple backups, though, as no option is perfect.

ITque offers a number of enterprise-grade Backup & Disaster Recovery (BDR) and Business Continuity (BC) solutions ranging from simple cloud-based options all the way to backup appliance-based solutions that can run your entire operation when disaster strikes your server closet.

ARE YOU COVERED?

Internet security is important as more and more cyber threats arise. Online privacy protection should be a top priority in your personal and professional lives. ITque specializes in Secure IT Solutions that protect a company’s network, servers, computers and data. If you have any questions about security for your company’s network and data, please call ITque at 408.500.0724.