And with this onslaught of negative news, it can be easy for everyday individuals to become overwhelmed and feel powerless in the face of the “insurmountable” threats posed by cybersecurity. But nothing could be further from the truth.
With all the jargon that is typically thrown around in relation to cybersecurity, there is a longstanding misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to professionals. Moreover, there is a prevailing sense among the public that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. In fact, everyday people have a huge role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation. For example, according to IBM, 95% of breaches have human error as the main cause. Therefore, everyday day technology users are very much the first line of defense when it comes to thwarting cybercrime. Unfortunately, though, many individuals are not aware of some of the best practices for boosting cybersecurity and how easy they are to use.
With that, here are a few key best practices that everyday people can implement today to enhance their own cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone.
Watch Out For Phishing
Phishing – when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. In fact, 80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics and other suspicious characteristics can be a tell-tale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” In addition, if you think you have spotted a phishing attempt be sure to report the incident so that internal IT teams and service providers can remediate the situation and prevent others from possibly becoming victims.
Update Your Passwords or Use a Password Manager
One of the biggest reasons that individuals repeat passwords is that it can be tough to remember all the passwords you have. Fortunately, by using a password manager, individuals can securely store all their unique passwords in one place. Meaning, people only must remember one password. In addition, password managers are incredibly easy to use and can automatically plug-in stored passwords when you visit a site.