5 Cyber Security Tips to Keep You Safe

BY WILLIAM THOMPSON NJ REALTORS® DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

1. Keep Your Devices Up to Date

From every device you own to every app you install it seemslike every day a new notification appears requesting torun another update. Updates used to mean great addedfeatures, but now everything looks identical to the way it didyesterday. While it may seem like nothing is happening, theseincremental updates are extremely important. Every day devicesand apps are trying to be infiltrated and every day developers aretrying to thwart them; these defenses rely on you to keep yoursystems up to date. The dangers of these bugs vary, however, inits most dangerous form it can be exploited to allow completecontrol over your computer and all the data it holds. I recommendturning on automatic updates for any system that has the ability,such as your mobile phone and computer. Most will perform theupdates while you sleep to ensure the least possible interruption.For any software or app, such as your web browser, that may notautomatically update, I suggest manually checking for updates ona regular basis. Personally, I check every Friday with my morningcoffee in hand, which turns the process into a habit and makes itmuch easier to remember.

2. Secure Your Accounts with Proper Passwords

I know the struggle, you have an account for everything and it’s difficult to remember the username and password combination to every one of them, never mindwhen each site adds in their special character or uppercaserequirements, it’s impossible! The reality is your credentials arethe only thing standing between a website or service and the restof the world and the protection is only as strong as the passwordyou choose. According to Statista, 70% of U.S. Internet users usethe same password for multiple accounts, and for those users, onedata breach could open the door to all accounts. As difficult as itmay be, I must implore you to create a unique set of credentialsfor every service and website. I recommend creating a complex,but memorable, base password (e.g. #onE-r3alTor), then, for eachservice, append a name to your base password(e.g. #onE-r3alTor-Netflix). While this practice will allow forsufficiently difficult and unique passwords for every account, I alsorecommend employing the use of a password manager. Passwordmanagers, such as LastPass, 1Password, or bitwarden, allow youto generate and store impossibly complex passwords for eachof your accounts without the need to remember them. You’reresponsible for remembering your vault password, however onceunlocked you’ll be able to copy-and-paste the credentials for thesites you need to access. Most password managers have apps andplugins that allow you easily autofill your password and are readilyavailable on your phone, computer, and directly in your browser.

3. Prevent Unauthorized Access with Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication is a meansof securing your account with more than justyour username and password. The most commonimplementation of MFA sends a one-time passwordto a registered device, usually through text message,that must be entered before proceeding. Enablingmulti-factor authentication ensures even if yourcredentials are compromised, access won’t begranted to your account without an additional layerof verification, greatly increasing the security of youraccounts. My recommendation is to enable multi-factorauthentication with any website that provides the ability,however, at an absolute minimum, enable it with youremail provider, banking institutions, and file storagesolutions.

4. Stay Ahead of Ransomware Attacks with Data Backups

Only a few years ago, the recommendation to back upyour files stemmed from risk of hard drive failure, orstolen computers, however now there is a dangerousand evolving threat circulating, ransomware.Ransomware is malware that encrypts the data of avictim’s device, rendering it useless, and demandingpayment to recover. While all scammers claim toprovide an unlock key upon payment, many won’tsince they know you’ll pay, and will continue increasingthe demands until you give up. The technologies usedby ransomware attacks are the same used to protectyour data, once infected there is virtually no way toreverse the damage. It is vitally important that all yourdata is regularly and securely backed up. Services suchas Apple’s iCloud Backup or Backup by Google Onecan be set to back up your phone or tablet nightlyallowing you to set it and forget it. For your computer,you’ll want to look for a service that providescontinuous and secure backups, such as Backblaze,CrashPlan, or Carbonite. If attacked, having a backupsolution would allow you to completely reset yourdevice, removing any malicious software, and restoreyour files directly from your backup solution.

5. Protect Sensitive Data with Secure File Storage

Storing your files online has many benefits, however, you need to be cautious when and where you’re storing sensitive information. Services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and OneDrive all provide high levels of security by encrypting your data while being uploaded and remain encrypted while stored protecting you from both man-in-the-middle attacks and data breaches. While email is a wonderful technology that keeps us connected, it is was never intended, and should never be used, as a means of transmitting sensitive data. My recommendation if you need to send a sensitive file, is to email a link to the file, generated by your file storage service, which can expire after a set time. For added protection, you could set a password for the file and provide the password through a separate means of communication, preferably in-person or over the phone.