Stop Cyberattacks in Their Tracks with These 10 Security Tips

According to Bitdefender’s Mid-Year Threat Landscape Report 2020, the first half of 2020 saw a 7x jump in the frequency of ransomware attacks compared to the same time in 2019. Likewise, the price of ransoms has jumped by an average of 60 percent, making it more expensive for organizations to get their stolen data back.

Both the pandemic and the shift to working from home play a significant role in the success rate of attacks, as users have their defenses down and have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented change in the way we all work and live. As we adjust to new work arrangements, here are ten useful tips to help you and your employees detect and prevent cyberattacks:

1. Don’t click on direct links (in emails, text messages, etc.), especially those asking you to enter sensitive information. It’s best to go directly to the source.
2. Don’t overshare on social media. These details can provide hackers with your location, ammunition to craft spear-phishing attacks and answers to security questions. Think before you share!
3. Don’t go “out of bounds” for communication. If you’re buying something on eBay and the other party wants to negotiate via email instead of the bidding system.
4. Never reuse passwords between any website or service.
5. Always be skeptical of any unexpected invoice, or request to get or pay for anything by using gift cards.
6. Never answer authentication recovery questions (e.g., What is your mother’s maiden name?) with real answers. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to write down each question and answer for each website that requires them, but you’ll be far less likely to have your account hijacked.
7. It is OK to confirm an email sender’s request, even if it is your boss. Better safe than sorry.
8. Know who to report any suspicious emails to at your workplace. Don’t delete the email – report it.
9. Invest in a password management tool – ain’t nobody got the time to remember all those passwords!
10. Be vigilant with suspicious SMS messages. Your bank will NEVER ask you to access your account from an SMS.

With such massive increases in the number of cyberattacks in 2020, organizations should assume that ransomware and other scams will only become more prevalent, pervasive and profitable for the bad guys.

Stop cyberattacks in their tracks with YYTECH’s Security Awareness Training. Our training solution showcases best practices for a company’s first line of defense — its employees — and teaches them how to detect and prevent cyberattacks.

Learn more about how Security Awareness Training can help protect your organization.

Information used in this article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4.