Protect Yourself From Cyber Threats

Thanks to BNCC member Chris Jeffery from CyberGuru for this article on the increasing risk of malicious cyber activity during COVID 19.

Australian Prime Minister, Mr Scott Morrison recently reported in his statement on Malicious Cyber Activity against Australian Networks that, “Australian organisations are currently being targeted by a sophisticated state-based cyber actor.” It is important to remain vigilant and prepare your organisation for such threats. In terms keeping yourself protected, there a number of strategies to protect your ICT environment:

Ensure you regularly update all devices including hardware and software as well as websites. Your ICT environment is only as strong as its weakest link, so if any devices are not maintained they pose a security risk to your entire operation. We recommend performing regular maintenance on all systems as generally manufacturers provide these this often.

Apply multi-factor authentication (MFA) to all accounts. MFA is becoming a critical part to ensure you keep your accounts protected. Working in conjunction with app or smart device known as an Authenticator, you will be prompted to provide a code or accept a prompt when you login after your password. If someone else has your password, that they won’t be able to login, unless they have this. MFA should be applied to all accounts such as email, website, CRM, financial management, banking, and social media to name a few.

 Remain educated and informed on the advice on technology developments. For many years, we have been writing blog articles published on our website and social media, covering a range of topics including phishing, business email compromise and malware as well as other cyber security issues. We also regularly post “Ask CyberGuru” articles where we respond to questions on a range of topics that we are asked about.

Mr Morrison also stated, “Cyber security is a shared responsibility of us all. It is vital that Australian organisations are alert to this threat and take steps to enhance the resilience of their networks.” We encourage you to work with a trusted ICT service partner to ensure you are following the latest recommendations. If you don’t have one already, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like assistance, we are happy to be of service to you.

Author: Chris Jeffery, CyberGuru