It seems like we are getting back to some kind of normalcy with more and more people going back to the office. However, there are still many people working from home.
If you’re in this situation and you have an employee working from home, don’t let your guard down. From a risk management perspective, that person still needs to be supervised, have adequate protection on the computer, printer and scanner that they are using from home.
If they’re remotely accessing your system, make sure their passwords are strong and are changed on a routine basis.
Regular meetings should be conducted by telephone and or zoom type calls. This helps keep everyone connected and on the same page when it comes to the firm’s workflow and processes.
These meetings don’t have to be hours long, nor do they have to be every day, but they should be completed on a consistent and routine basis. So no one gets left behind in the workflow.
Hopefully, this soon will all be a distant memory and we will be back in that office routine. But until then, again, don’t let your guard down when it comes to your offices and your clients’ protection.
The week of June 7th may have seen the biggest release of hacked data ever published to the dark web. Hackers publicly released over 8 billion username and password combinations!
To use this tool, all you must do is enter your email or phone number. The tool can safely access the hacked username and password combinations on the dark web. It will let you know if your data is found.
What To Do If Your Data Was A Part Of The Released Data
If the tool tells you that your data was compromised, you should start mitigation steps immediately. Go to every account that uses the exposed username/password and change the password. Be sure to use different passwords for each account that are considered to be “strong”.
Want to know what makes a strong password? A rule of thumb is to create a password that has the following 6 characteristics:
More than 12 characters
Contains at least 1 uppercase character
Contains at least 1 lowercase character
Contains at least 1 number
Contains at least 1 symbol
Contains no “real” words that could be guessed via a dictionary attack (where they go through a list of words from the dictionary and try to guess your password)
In addition, you’ll want to be sure to look for any unexpected activity within the account. Make sure that all of your personal information is correct and that no money has been transferred unexpectedly.
If given the option, turn on the “Two-Factor Authentication” (or “2FA”) option associated with the account. This will require you to enter a code from your cell phone or email to authenticate who you are. 2FA protects your accounts from hacker dumps like this.
Yes, this is a pain. However, it’s better to have your personal and financial data protected.
How To Protect Your Data Easily Using Password Managers
INF recommends using a password manager like KeePass or 1Password. A password manager will help you create and remember well-formed passwords for all of your accounts. In fact, you can copy and paste from these managers, so you don’t have to type anything going forward.
These password managers can also be installed on your phone. This makes browsing the web a breeze when you need to access your passwords.
Is There Anything That You Can Do To Protect Your Business Further?
Yes, you can protect your business with a cyber liability policy. These policies help protect you from the threat of hackers, data dumps, stolen passwords, ransomware attacks and more.
It takes less than 5 minutes to fill out the application for this insurance. Contact INF to get started at 412.563.2106.
