Welcome autumn, welcome safety
October is national security month, and it gives us a great opportunity to focus extra on digital security. In this article, we'll look at the three most important aspects of digital security that you should consider this month to protect yourself and your digital data.
1. Secure passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA)
One of the most basic, yet crucial, aspects of digital security is passwords. Strong passwords are key to protecting your accounts. This month we think you should assess the strength of your passwords. We recommend replacing simple passwords with long, complex combinations of letters, numbers and special characters. Sure, we know it sounds stressful. But we promise you it's worth it! Avoid using the same password on multiple websites at the same time, as this increases the risk of you being attacked if one of the websites is hacked and their data goes astray.
In addition to good and strong passwords, should you enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. Two-factor provides an extra layer of security by requiring you to provide another form of authentication in addition to your password. This makes it much more difficult for unknown people to gain access to your data.
2. Security Updates and Software Updates
Vulnerabilities in software and operating systems are a source of many digital threats. Hackers exploit these vulnerabilities to gain access to both computers and devices. To prevent this, it is important to keep your software up to date with the latest security updates. In October, take the time to go through your devices and check for available updates. Feel free to set up automatic updating in the same stroke!
Also remember that it's not just the operating system that needs to be updated. Apps, browsers and other software must also be kept up to date to reduce the risk of security issues. Automate the update process wherever possible to ensure you're always protected.
3. Data backup and contingency plan
So to your most important task: preparing for the worst. Data leaks, computer viruses, and even hardware failures can lead to the loss of important data. To protect yourself from such incidents, you need to make sure you have a good data backup solution in place.
This month is a great time to review your routines. Check whether you have copied important files and documents to an external hard drive, cloud-based storage or another solution you are comfortable with. You should also consider testing the recovery process to make sure you can access your data if something goes wrong. Being prepared for disasters is an important part of security work.
We believe that these three areas of digital security should be allowed to shine this month. By strengthening your passwords, keeping your software up-to-date and securing your important data through backups, you can help protect yourself from digital threats and digital attacks.
Take on these challenges in October and make it a habit to practice good digital security all year round! We are rooting for you 🙂
