10 Cyber Security Tips for Working Remotely

With many Coachella Valley boards and managers conducting association business remotely from home computers and laptops, it is important for us to be cautious of cyber attacks. Criminals are actively looking for ways to hijack your data. 2019 was a historic year for cyber criminals. We hope that with the rise in electronic communications due to the COVID-19 crisis, all of us will be more vigilant in protecting our online activities. Please pass along these tips. They can help with mitigating your risk of being one of the one-out-of-five Americans affected annually by cybercrime.

SECURITY TIPS

1 Inspect Web Addresses Before You Click Before you click – hover over the image and RIGHT CLICK your mouse. You will see the true identity of the link. Get in the habit of inspecting links before you click. Hidden behind attractive thumbnails with pretty colors, seemingly appropriate attachments, or hidden within a familiar website, could be malicious links that can do damage in several different ways to your computer and data.

2 Beware of Prying Eyes Monitor your device and lock it when you step away. Never leave sensitive or confidential items in plain view. Certainly, don’t leave passwords written on post-its attached to your computer.

3 Keep Track of Your Footprints Monitor your accounts to catch suspicious activity. Many of us can’t even remember where we have online accounts and what information is stored on them. Pay attention to your accounts and visit them often to look for unauthorized usage, especially social media and accounts that have your credit card numbers. Delete unused accounts.

4 Updates, Updates, Updates Software updates are routinely issued to patch issues and protect you from new viruses and other vulnerabilities. Turn on AUTO-UPDATE! Auto-update is your friend! Devices that are not updated are easy targets.

5 Back Up Your Data Backing up data is easy and inexpensive. If you don’t have a physical backup (USB Drive, External Hard Drive), get an iCloud account. There is no excuse not to have a backup of your data. Many cybercrimes include taking or blocking access to your data.

6 Use Strong Passwords and Change Them Often Most of us use passwords that are easy to remember like our name and birthdate. We like to keep all our passwords the same, so we don’t forget them. Unfortunately, this places you at risk. Studies show that most cybercriminals access accounts by guessing the user’s password. One of the easiest things you can do to protect yourself is to use a password that is difficult to guess. For most criminals, this makes it difficult to break into a computer or account and will force them to look for another easier target. Also, make sure to use different usernames for different accounts.

7 Before You Open an Email, Check the Actual Address A favored tactic among cybercriminals is to “spoof” the display name of an email. If a fraudster wanted to pretend to be the local bank they could set up a display to show Community Bank communitybank@thebank.com. However, the actual address may be something like my123bnk@exp.net. Since Community Bank does not own the domain “exp.net” email authentication defenses will not block this email on the bank's behalf. Once delivered, the email looks good because most of our inboxes and mobile phones will only present the display name. Check the email address by hovering over it with your mouse or in the HEADER line to see if it matches the display name. If suspicious, don’t open it. Delete it or report to your IT department.

8 Be Grammar Conscientious Legitimate messages do not have major spelling mistakes or bad grammar. Read your emails carefully and report anything that seems suspicious.

9 Beware of Scary Subject Lines Using scare tactics in the subject line is a common phishing tactic for cybercriminals. Beware of subject lines that claim your “account has been suspended” or ask you to take action on an “urgent payment request.”

10 Don’t Open That! When in doubt, don’t open attachments. Important! Malicious attachments can contain viruses and malware that can damage files on your computer, steal your passwords or hold your data hostage. Don’t ever open any email attachments you weren’t expecting.

Jamie Ridenhour is National Training and Compliance Manager for DSI Security Services’ company footprint. He is responsible for ensuring compliance with a multitude of federal and state regulatory mandates. He creates and administrates training and educational programs in 39 states. Jamie can be reached by email at jridenhour@dsisecurity.com or by phone at (334) 793-5720.

Kimberly Burnett is the Business Development Manager at DSI Security Services. Kimberly can be reached at (909) 238-3827 or by email at kburnett@dsisecurity.com. By Jamie Ridenhour, APP and Kimberly Burnett