SMART PREVENTION TACTICS
TO ENSURE CYBERSECURITY
By Robert Hessel
of Things (IoT), our lives are
intertwined with devices every day.
With the new threats of cyber
attacks from Russia, residents in the
United States should be aware of
their vulnerabilities and know what
to do to help prevent breaches. Your
privacy and financial stability may
depend on it.
Let’s start with passwords. Do
you know the number of accounts
and devices that you own that have
passwords? If you’re like many
Americans, it’s probably more than
all your fingers and toes combined.
Passwords are a pain, but they are
a necessary component of doing
business, managing finances,
communicating and more. In
regards to passwords, there are
several actions you can take to
protect yourself from a cyber attack:
change default passwords to routers, all wireless devices, printers,
security systems, and camera systems at your home and your
business. Don’t assign the same password to different devices
— each should be unique (and strong). Get a quality password
manager to create and store data in an encrypted database. Being
smart with your passwords, and the management of that data
will go a long way in protecting your accounts, devices, and
systems from hackers.
It’s also important to update your devices. The technology that
operates your devices is more susceptible to compromise when
it is out of date. Hackers move fast and take advantage of any
opportunity to find a way into your devices. Protect your private
information by updating your devices when the latest versions
of operating systems (OS) and security updates are available,
including your phone, tablet, PC, and every IoT device.
In addition, be very sure you know who is contacting you
before clicking on any links. Phishing is bigger than ever. Bots
come from Russia and around the globe. They are persistent and
masters of disguise. Often, they appear as someone you think you
can trust, but they have malicious reasons for contacting you, like
extracting your usernames, passwords and credit card details.
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Cybersecurity is a critical
issue in today’s digital
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132 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2018
Be Selfish With Your
Information (Say No to Sharing)
We teach our kids to share. It’s a
virtue. But when it comes to sharing
your information, be very careful
of sharing it with anybody. That
goes for you and information you
know about your family. It doesn’t
take much for hackers to figure out
how to get into your devices. Why
give them the ammunition? This
includes schedules, too. The more
data that’s out there (particularly on
the internet), the more vulnerable
you are to cyber attacks.
Make an IT Security “Blanket”
Following these tactics will
provide a strong defense against
Russian hackers or others that
might have devious plans. Weaving
all these together will serve as an
IT security “blanket” — protecting
your valuable information and
giving you comfort and peace of
mind. And don’t forget the golden
rule in data management –– always
make sure your critical information is backed up off all of your
devices. Your source could be stand alone or in the cloud.
All of these strategies should be utilized not only for your home
devices and systems but at your place of business as well. Often
people will have separate phones, laptops, and tablets for work,
and it can be easy to forget to protect those when you are busy
40-plus hours per week. Take these actions as soon as possible
to keep your data secure. The great quote from Vince Lombardi,
the historical American football coach, says: “The Best Defense is
a Good Offense.” It applies to IT security as well. Be proactive.
Then you can be ready for what’s coming. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Source 1 Security is a trusted and authorized
Honeywell Security Systems Dealer –– a leading global manufacturer
of security and automation solutions for residential and commercial
applications. With security you can rely on, it specializes in smart
commercial security systems that keep you safe. Robert Hessel at
Source 1 Solutions can be contacted at (727) 538-4114 or visit
source1security.com.