At Charge, we’re committed to helping our employees take charge of their data security by providing tips for work and personal life.
Charge IT is not interested in keeping data safe and secure through technical controls alone. Instead, IT looks to help educate employees on secure practices and why those practices are important, this allows everyone to apply the security measures we enforce here at Charge to the rest of their personal lives to help them to be more secure overall.
It is not a stretch to say that most people view security as a speedbump to productivity or a negative hit to a budget, however, should a security incident occur productivity comes to a halt and the budgetary impact can be devastating depending on circumstances.
In IT we often hear “I don’t have anything any threat actor would want or care about”, but that is far from the truth. Threat actors can often find value in the most insignificant data and leverage it to maximize its value. For example, if a threat actor finds a cable bill most would think what harm could come from that, but an attacker will exploit that information as much as possible. They might call the customer who’s bill they found claiming to be the cable company and demand payment by credit card or the services will be disconnected, or they might call the cable company and order new equipment but ship it to a different address. The point being the information they found can be used to gain trust and exploit us through that trust.
Here are some actionable tips to safeguard your information:
1. Using Strong and Unique Password: Avoid common passwords and use a combination of upper letters, lower letters, special characters and numbers for better security.
2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add an extra layer of protection to your accounts.
3. Beware of Phishing Scams: Don’t click on suspicious links or attachments in emails or messages. Remember to stop, look, think!
4. Keep Software up to Date: Regularly update your devices and applications to patch vulnerabilities.
5. Review Privacy Settings: Take a moment to adjust your settings on social media and other online platforms to control what information you share.
6. Back Up Your Data: Ensure important files and data are securely backed up.
The IT team prioritizes privacy every day, not just today.