Secure Your Data before You Go on Holiday

It’s been a tough 2020 and the holiday season is finally here. As you come back to work after the holidays, the last thing you want is a cyber incident to begin the new year. Cybercriminals love the long year-end holiday season. People are away from their workstations and are generally inattentive to securing their devices and accounts. Our cybersecurity team from Perth list some useful tips on how to secure your data during the holiday season.

Secure Your Organisation before You Close for The Holidays

Evaluate your IT security readiness

Do a security audit on all company devices and systems. Encourage your employees to do the same. Find and fix the most vulnerable points first. Cybercriminals will try for the easiest entry point and high-value data. This is a good time to get an IT security plan in place if you do not already have one. Cybersecurity is a dynamic and high-skill field. We recommend using professional cybersecurity services. Professional cybersecurity providers can provide comprehensive protection that covers monitoring, detection and resolution.

Get your employees on board

A company’s security plan is only as strong as the weakest link. Employees are the easiest point of entry into a company’s systems. Cybersecurity cannot be implemented without employee adherence. This is especially true if your employees use their personal devices at work or for work purposes. See how employee devices can pose security risks to your organisation.

Regular employee training and awareness, mock drills, BYOD policies help to prevent intentional or innocent security tampering by employees. Make them understand how their activities can create potential risks for the organisation. Train them how to recognise threats, take preventive steps and respond to security incidents.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Install MFA for all critical functions. This will help to add extra layers of security to your data and systems. If somebody does try to access your data, you will be immediately alerted when you get access requests on text or emails. If your data systems require you to change passwords frequently, it is advisable to change passwords just before you leave for the holidays. Otherwise, you may find yourself locked out of your systems when you return to work. Any updates and implementations should be done within the organisation system. It is best to avoid triggering any updates from devices that are outside your organisational network.

Clear out your inbox and recycle bin

It is the holiday season, but you may still receive emails. A full inbox is the last thing you want when you come back to work. Activate Auto archive on your email account. Clear out your inbox and possibly all email folders completely before you leave. Ensure you don’t have any sensitive information in your email folders. Clear out the Recycle Bin, Downloads folder and any temporary folders.

Ensure your files are synced to cloud storage

We recommend cloud storage for all important data. This is the most secure and flexible way to backup your data. If you use local backup for data storage, additional cloud storage is advisable. This way you can access files online, in the event you need them while on holiday. You can also recover your files easily from cloud storage if you ever get locked out of your account or systems. This can happen due to malware attacks or any hardware damage.

Need to get your business on the cloud? Talk to us now!

Personal Cybersafety During Holidays

Personal data security is as important as organisational data security. Online shopping, travel bookings, hotel check-ins are all playgrounds for cybercriminals. Here are some tips on how to secure personal data during the holiday season.

Monitor financial accounts regularly

Monitor your financial accounts regularly. It helps you to spot any fraudulent transactions early. If you notice any suspicious activity, contact your bank authorities immediately. Ensure that you log out of your accounts and close browsers every time. Which brings us to an important point.

Avoid public or free Wi-Fi networks

Public Wi-Fi connections are highly vulnerable to cyberattacks due to their easy accessibility. Avoid using public Wi-Fi or computers to log in to any account. If you cannot avoid the public domain, find paid services or password-protected networks. Use a VPN for an additional layer of security if you need to access public networks or computers.

Turn off Bluetooth connectivity

If you use Bluetooth to communicate with other devices, ensure you switch-off the automatic feature. A hacker in your device’s signal range can gain access to your device. This can be done quickly without you noticing. Switch on and off manually whenever you need to use Bluetooth. A little effort can save you lot of trouble.

Enable safety features on your mobile

Enable safety features like passcodes, PIN, anti-theft tracking on your smartphone. This is especially helpful if you lose your device while travelling on vacation. If you lose your mobile phone, you can track the current location of the device. Criminals will also have a tough time breaking into your accounts. Features like remote wipe will ensure that you can wipe off sensitive data before criminals can get to them.

These tips can help you started on how to secure data during the holiday season. Computing Australia has provided comprehensive security solutions for its clients for over two decades. Contact us or email at cybersecurity@computingaustralia.group to get your systems and data secured.

Jargon Buster

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device. Employees bring their own mobiles, tabs or laptops to the workplace. 
Remote wipe – a security feature for mobile devices that allows for remote clearing of data from stolen devices.
VPN – Virtual Private Network – creates a private network from a public network to provide privacy and security.