The summer atmosphere is felt throughout Europe and despite a complicated context, it is again possible to travel quite freely! However: no respite for cyberattacks that keep raising the temperature.
For some, this summer may be the first to take full advantage of hybrid work, the perfect work-life balance (think of the occasional surf session between meetings, starting the barbecue while your conference call is muted, the creation of your annual plan while enjoying the rays of the sun…). However, it’s important to make sure you have the right security measures in place to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as you’d hoped.
As ways of working evolve and hybrid working becomes the norm, the traditional notion of the workplace, with its rules and hierarchies, is now replaced by a much more flexible approach. The possibility of these new ways of working is made possible thanks to computer networks and the value of data, the ‘new oil’ that allows companies to preserve their growth.
However, we must not forget that this growth and flexibility of work is supported by maintaining the security of data and the systems that process them: and it is in everyone’s interest to pay attention to this. Employees working remotely should be aware of their responsibilities for good cybersecurity practices.
So to ensure that this summer is not tainted by a cyberattack, here are some key elements to take into account:
Is your password “password”? So, it is urgent to change it!
The most common passwords in 2022 are still 123456, azerty, password, etc. With one of these passwords, you expose yourself to an attack. For your identity to remain yours, everything relies on authentication. Create unique passwords for each account using a variety of capitalizations and symbols and change them every year.
Go all the way using two-factor authentication (known as “2FA”)
Two-factor authentication (or 2FA) adds an easy-to-use layer of security and makes it much harder for anyone who shouldn’t be accessing your data. With 2FA technologies, users have a chance to spot malicious abuse of their credentials, and admins have the metadata of the user’s acknowledgment, allowing them to track times or locations of misuse. unusual access.
Surf intelligently on your devices
It’s a matter of common sense, but the way you use your device, especially your smartphone, will make it more or less vulnerable to cyberattacks. Make sure your PIN and passwords are not associated with anything else (e.g. credit card PIN or birthday…), install apps from trusted sources and keep your software up to date.
Don’t be tricked by suspicious requests
We have all received emails asking us to transfer funds to support people in difficult circumstances and most of us think twice before making the bank transfer. However, these days, phishing emails can be very convincing, so watch out for weird wording and email addresses, strange links, companies with Gmail addresses, etc. It may be, as we are all often remote, that you receive a call on your mobile with a plausible story and you are asked to download or authorize something on your phone. The golden rule: if in doubt, report it to your IT department.
Check the protection of your hardware
We know it’s important to have protection on our device to detect and neutralize malware, but when was the last time you checked that it was up to date or that the latest versions were installed? Take a moment to verify that your protection is working and run a quick system scan. Prevention is better than cure.
Once all these tips have been applied, book a getaway to a remote location with good wifi and have a safe and happy hybrid summer!