In last week’s piece for Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM), we gave some key tips for safely working from home.
For the fourth and final week of CSAM, we’re continuing with a similar theme—”families and businesses.”
To conclude this key event, we’re providing a quick checklist that will help organizations and individuals determine the security of their accounts and devices.
Here’s how to use the check list as an assessment:
- Give yourself a point for each item that applies to you in a section (except for items with individual scoring).
- Tally up your score.
- Read the score breakdown to see how cybersecure you (and your organization) are.
- Refer to the legend at the end for explanations and definitions.
Accounts
My organization has…
- Not shared passwords with anyone (excludes shared accounts)
- Enabled multi factor authentication where possible
- Customized privacy settings on all accounts
I have…
- Not shared my work password(s) with anyone (excludes shared accounts)
- Unique (i.e. different) passwords for all accounts (half point if most passwords are unique!)
- Passphrases for passwords
Devices
My organization has…
- Enabled automated updates for operating systems and software
- Anti-virus software (first party or certified)
I have…
- A VPN on my device for when I work in a public/shared area
- My data backed up never (-1), annually (.5), monthly (1), at least weekly (2)
- Bonus points if your organization has enabled automated backups!
Scoring
8-11: kudos to you! You’re a proactive organization/employee on the right track to preventing breaches of security and data loss. While there aren’t any large security concerns for you, it is always helpful to keep up on new measures. Check out these solutions and services to see what you could benefit from.
4-7: you meet the basic security requirements but are missing some key preventative measures. Use the checklist as a guide, implementing the items that you lost points on. Additionally, it would be prudent to assess what services you or your organization could use.
0-3: security is not among your top priorities, but it is never too late to change that. Begin with the items you missed on out checklist and then head over here and here for more tips. You will also need to implement proactive security measures to mitigate risks, including backup and disaster recovery solutions.
Cyber Security Legend
Passphrase: four-word password over 15 characters long (i.e. lampgoatglassbottle).
- Mixing numbers, letters, and cases in your passwords is great, but passphrases are even stronger.
Multi factor authentication (MFA): adds a minimum of one extra step to the login process for accounts. For example, texting a code to your mobile device.
- MFA is built into most social media and e-mail sites but can also be enabled for devices via an authenticator app (such as Microsoft Authenticator).
Customized privacy: default settings can overshare information without you realizing. Make sure you customize account settings to prevent tracking and ad personalization.
Virtual private network (VPN): a VPN provides a secure and independent network that encrypts and protects your data. Because public networks are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, VPNs are needed if working on a public network.
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