The internet now has over 3.9 billion users. While the increased access to information is one of the best things about technology it also comes with drawbacks that will threaten your privacy.
If you are not careful you could become the victim of a credential theft that can see criminals being able to access sensitive information about you or your business. Since the use of the internet is a necessity, understanding the threat and taking action to prevent it is the only way you can stop yourself from becoming a victim.
Here are a few basic tips that will help you stop credential theft.
1. Multi-Factor Authentication
These days a password alone will not do, you need to enable multi-factor authentication.
The more hoops someone has to go through to access your information or your companies information the better it is for you in terms of security. Have your employees enable multi-factor authentication even on their social media accounts for extra security.
2. Understanding the Threat to Remote Desktop Access
It is important that you are careful about who has remote access to any of your external workstations. This is because many hackers tend to target those who have remote access.
Often these external workstations are not as secure as other platforms mainly because administrators may feel they are not as vulnerable to security breaches. Hackers count on this misconception and will target it based on this wrong belief.
3. Beware of Phishing Scams
Phishing scams are more common than ever. Most phishing scams involve hackers sending emails pretending that they are from reputable companies.
The hackers will then attempt to get sensitive information such as passwords. The emails look incredibly authentic and if you or your employees are not extremely alert you may fall for the scam.
4. Respond Quickly to Device Compromise
If a device is compromised, isolation should be your first line of action. Make sure that everyone that uses the device knows that it has been compromised.
The next step is to respond to the incident. You will need to identify how and when the device’s security was breached. You will probably need a cybersecurity attack specialist for this.
Once you have identified the cause of the compromise you can then go ahead and improve your security to prevent future cyber attacks.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the threat to your cybersecurity is important if you want to keep sensitive information away from cybercriminals.
While it is important to know all the different ways in which your security can be compromised. It is even more important to be vigilant. Remember that hackers see what they do as a full-time job and when one method becomes obsolete they just find another way to breach security.
Securing your data requires getting the best security and ensuring that those who you have given access to sensitive information are also vigilant about making sure the information is kept secure.
If you would like more information about preventing credential theft please contact us.
