By Christopher Budd, Director of Threat Research, X-Ops
The Internet has become a ubiquitous part of daily life, and while its benefits are many and far-reaching, we need to ensure that we protect ourselves and our valuable personal information when we are online. Just as you wouldn’t drive your car on the highway without wearing your seat belt, you also shouldn’t drive the digital highway without the proper safety measures to ensure your safety while browsing the Internet.
Safer Internet Day February 6, 2024 is a timely reminder of how to protect yourself on the Internet, including the importance of strong passwords to prevent the theft of credentials, which are used to break into corporate networks and escalate privileges to steal data and possibly launch attacks such as Ransomware.
Safer Internet Day: What we need to do
Even though we all hate passwords and think they’re a pain, they’re still important. Even today we see big companies compromised due to poor password management by them or their staff. Using unique passwords for every site (or at least every important site) remains one of the best things you can do to keep yourself safe.
In addition to using unique passwords, using a multi-factor authentication app is a key step in securing your critical accounts and information.
Sophos X-Ops Active Adversaries Report found that in 2023, for the first time, compromised credentials – when a cybercriminal uses stolen login credentials to gain access to a company’s network – were the leading cause of attacks leading to data theft and ransomware attacks, with over half (56%) of the attacks analyzed being linked to name/password information ending up in hostile hands. This represents a jump of 26% between 2022 and 2023.
It’s also important to remember the power of “no.” The best way to protect your data and information is to not disclose it in the first place. Just because a site asks for your birthday doesn’t mean it needs it and isn’t entitled to it. Simply put, if a site or service doesn’t have your information, they can’t lose it, accidentally disclose it, and can’t have it stolen either.
If you just do these two basics cyber hygiene things, you will have a long way to go to ensure your safety online.
However here are some additional tips to be even safer online:
- Be careful when clicking on links
- Keep all apps, apps and devices up to date
- Invest in good security software
- Treat all unsolicited communications (emails, phone calls, text messages) as suspicious
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Cyber Express. Any content provided by the author is that of his or her opinion and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.