The internet is a fun place to be, it certainly makes everyday tasks easier, such as banking, communication, storing information, and shopping, just to name a few.

However, just like there are pickpockets in the street, there are people out there who will take advantage of you and your business. These people use cyberspace to attack your information, wreaking havoc, stealing money, deleting information and most recently taking control of your information and holding it for ransom – if you don’t pay your information gets deleted. Wiped. Gone. Good bye data.

With this in mind, it is easy to get carried away, and become afraid of the cloud and the potential security threats it possesses.

Here are some easy tips to help you keep your data cyber secure.

You might have heard on the News recently that there have been a lot of cyber attacks. If you’ve been keeping up, you will know that these attacks have affected some huge companies. This cyber attack is specifically targeting out of date Windows devices. Keep your computer updated! Companies such as Windows are constantly upgrading, updating, and improving their systems. Updating your computer can in the cases of these recent cyber attacks, save you millions.

Listen to your browser, most of the common browsers used today will warn you if you are visiting, clicking or downloading unsafe content. If you ever get a warning message, stop. Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari automatically have security settings that will help detect malware or phishing scams. If you think you really do need to download that file or open than email then check with the person who sent it to you. If you’ve received a phishing email they might not be aware that they have passed it on to you.

Keep your passwords safe and secure, organisations will never ask you for your password through email, or over the phone, never give it out. Some phishing scammers create websites that look and feel like accounts that you normally use, do not give them your password. If you are worried, call the help desk for the company the email is from. They will inform you of their procedures and be able to identify if the email is authentic.

Use two-step authentication. Two-step authentication creates a second layer of security, for example, if somebody manages to get your password and they try to access your email, if you have enabled two-step authentication then you might receive a text, or email using a different account that notifies you of the login and gives you a code to proceed. Access to your email account will be denied without that code. You can set two-step notification easily in the account settings of most email providers.

Lock or encrypt your sensitive data. If your sensitive data is encrypted it is harder for hackers to use this data against you.

Ensure you have up to date virus, malware, and firewall software running. If you don’t have any, get some, if it’s out of date, update it! NOW!

Backup your files, cover yourself if something does happen and you have a backup, no worries. Backing up your files is easy, get your IT guy to do it for you or organise an automated system so backups are done frequently.

Lastly, insurance, cyber liability insurance will help you if the worst happens, they will help you with supportive and professional to get you back on your feet and back into business while reimbursing your losses. With statistics showing that you are less likely to get burgled and more likely to face a cyber attack, cyber liability insurance is a good idea.

All it takes to become a victim of a cyber attack is an accidental click of a button or even forgetting to update your systems regularly. Protect yourself from cybercrime, use these tips, be vigilant, back up your data, update regularly and be careful of the links that you click.

Use these tips and stay safe in cyberspace Rave Builders!