When I would hear the term cyber security, I always believed it was something only businesses had to be concerned about. It was probably because of all the movies I watched where some hacker was looking to steal top secret data from the companies.

As I’ve grown along this journey in the IT world, I’ve come to realize cybersecurity is for everyone! Cyber security is a term used to represent various methods of protecting data, networks, and devices from attacks. We’ve discussed many of these in previous posts.
Stay tuned as we discuss how it all fits together.

It’s the holidays! Time to break out the decorations, stock up on egg nog and binge watch all the classic holiday movies! It’s also time for SHOPPING! This is my favorite holiday of the year. Unfortunately, it’s the time of year when thieves are most prevalent.

Remember all the things we learned this year to protect yourself:
• Use two factor authentication on all accounts (especially those connected to your money!)
• Take it, lock it, hide it
• Do not click links in emails from strangers (You likely did not win $1000)
• Question anyone calling asking for your personal information over the phone.

Also, watch out for porch thieves. If you are having something delivered to your home be sure you are there for the delivery.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!

I cannot tell you how many phone calls and voicemails I’ve received lately from people claiming to be from the police department, insurance agency, law agencies, etc. Each of them telling some convincing story about how I need to pay this or that or someone is coming to get me. I’m then asked to verify my identity starting with my social security number.

In social engineering an individual is tricked into giving up their personal information. The example provided above is known as vishing (voice phishing). We talked about phishing before in terms of emails designed to trick you into clicking links that may be malicious. Vishing is something to be concerned about as well.

These master manipulators will say whatever they need to get your confidential information. Put them in the hot seat and start asking questions like “What is the name of the company you work for? What’s the company’s address? What’s your company’s website? Shouldn’t you already know that information?” Don’t fall victim to their attacks.

Is it just me or is everyone getting hacked lately? From social media pages, to email and bank accounts, hackers are just trying their best to take over. It’s time to strengthen the security on every account we have. One of the best ways to secure a page (besides a strong password) is with multifactor authentication. Multifactor authentication requires a person to provide more than one piece of information before they are granted access to an account.

Two factor authentication (2FA) is a typical feature found in the security settings of most websites. In the most basic form 2FA requires a username and password along with a code that is sent to your phone or email address. Once all the information has been provided you can successfully access your account.

This makes it difficult for a hacker to get access to your account. Especially if the code is being sent to your cell phone. The username and password without the code is useless and they’ll move on. Take the time to go through the sites that you access daily and turn on this important security feature. It’s worth it!

Many of us have had the opportunity to work from home during the pandemic. While it has been seamless for some, others haven’t had it so well. Depending on where you live the power may not flow as steadily. As a result, the battle with power outages could be constant, especially during a storm. Well, power outages happen in the office too, right? Yes, they do but companies are more likely to have generators (powerful, expensive generators) to help keep us worker bees going until power is restored.

If you’re battling with short power outages at home an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) may help. A UPS contains multiple outlets that will allow you to connect your router and modem, desktop computer, etc. The cheapest UPS will give you about 30 minutes but spending a little more will you get at least an hour.

If your home is anything like mine, two minutes without wi-fi is equivalent to the world ending. Invest in a UPS to keep it up and running until everything is back to normal.

Another post about passwords? Yep. Passwords are everywhere. Our internet of things aren’t exempt. Wikipedia defines the Internet of Things as a “…network of physical objects—”things” or objects—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.”

Popular devices that are part of this network include smart home devices such as security systems, device-controlled lighting, AC and heating systems. These things make our lives so much easier and grant us peace of mind. Out of town? Well just pop into the security camera to make sure everything is okay. On your way home from work? Well just log in and adjust the thermostat so your home is nice and comfy before you get there.

Sounds good right? Protect these great features by changing the default password on each device. All it takes is an internet search of the device brand and the whole world has the username and password set by the manufacturer. I’m sure you’ve heard the horror stories of people hacking into home security cameras and terrorizing its owner. It’s scary but we can each do our part by updating the default password.

We’ve talked about some of the dangers of public Wi-fi but now it’s time to bring it home. Is your home network password protected? I know. It is annoying when the field technician comes out to get your internet up and running then he gives you this super long, absolutely impossible to remember password. Our friends and family come over and say, “Hey what’s the Wi-Fi password?” Now you’re scratching your head and digging through all the information the tech left.

This will have you wanting to remove the password altogether but stay strong. Do not do it.  Secure wi-fi at home is just as important. Attackers can access your network just as easily as they can on public Wi-fi.  Our guards are down when we’re home so we’re accessing sensitive data without a second thought and attackers are counting on it.

Unsecured wi-fi at home will also open yourself up to neighbors connecting and draining all your bandwidth. That means while you’re trying to surf the net it’s going super slow because your neighbor is connected to the wi-fi probably streaming music and movies on your dime.

Protect your home network. After all you wouldn’t keep your front door unlocked right?

We’ve all heard the term “spring showers”. Well here in Texas it’s more than just a shower. It’s complete with lightening, thunder and tornadoes! Not fun at all. What could be worse than being kept up all night with the threat of severe weather looming? A lightening strike that fries any device you have plugged into an outlet.

A surge protector can help protect against such events. Make sure your TVs, computer monitors, desktops and laptop chargers are all plugged into a surge protector at all times. It could really save some heartache and money too.

We’re always looking for a way to stay connected when we’re out and about. Especially for our devices that don’t have unlimited cellular data. Most of your major fast-food restaurants have free public Wi-Fi. You may even find that free Wi-Fi is available while you get your oil changed or while you wait for your flight at the airport.

Connecting to unprotected networks can leave you vulnerable to attacks from those looking to steal data on your device. The most common type of threat to open Wi-Fi is a Man-in-the-Middle attack. In this type of attack the hacker sits between the public network and your computer without you even knowing. They can steal passwords, hijack your email, text messages and more.

If public Wi-Fi absolutely must be used, only access those that require a password. Do not access any sensitive information like bank accounts while connected and try to use a VPN (virtual private network) when possible. A VPN sends data through an encrypted tunnel and makes it difficult for attackers to steal data.

Play it safe. Say no to free Wi-Fi.

Many websites are beginning to incorporate more password security measures these days. Especially in the wake of a growing number of cyber security incidents. You’ve seen it: “Your password has expired. Please enter a new password to continue.”

It’s a gentle reminder to change your password but not everyone has implemented this feature. So the question is, how old is your password? We’ve touched on it before but it can’t be said enough. Passwords should be changed regularly, whether the site requires it or not.

If you’ve received one of those dreaded “Our company data has been breached” notices, stop what you’re doing and change your password right away. Always do your part to keep your accounts safe.