To improve your online security and that of your business, there are cyber hygiene practices that everyone should implement. From strengthening access, improving your passwords, to staying vigilant against social engineering techniques, we present to you without delay the 8 best cyber hygiene practices to implement today.
What is cyber hygiene?
Cyber hygiene is a set of practices and behaviors that must be applied on a daily basis to ensure the security and integrity of computer systems, networks and digital data. These practices are essential to address the risks of cybersecurity.
Best practices to implement
Here is a list of 8 essential practices to implement to improve your protection and that of your company against cyber threats.
1. Use strong passwords
This is a commonly mentioned cyber hygiene essential that remains a problem in some organizations and for careless users. Choosing a secure password doesn’t take much longer. Some cybersecurity tools, such as password managers, can help you develop secure passwords and keep them safe. When possible, it’s also a good idea to use the Double authentication.
2. Use advanced security solutions
You will need to install and use advanced security solutions, such as antivirus software, to improve your protection against online threats. This software should be tailored to your personal and business needs.
3. Work on risk management
Risk management is about adequately preparing for the main attack, failure or error scenarios, by developing precise plans to respond to them. Even with the best security guidelines and the greatest vigilance, there will always be risks, which is why it is important to know how to deal with them.
4. Limit information shared online
Remember that cybercriminals use any information shared online to carry out their attacks, especially in the case of attempts toPhishing, also called phishing. Although it is sometimes tempting to share personal information, it is better to remain discreet, especially on social networks, both regarding your business and your private life: everything can be used against you.
5. Choose an automated backup system
When it comes to your company’s cyber hygiene, it is advisable to implement an automated backup system, so as to ensure that in the event of a problem, you will not lose important information that is necessary for your operations. Performing backups manually involves risks, and may not be enough. We therefore advise you to adopt automatic backups, which have the additional advantage of freeing up work time for your teams.
6. Control access
As with everything, access to your company's systems must be controlled. To do this, you will need to invest in quality tools that will manage access and alert you in the event of an anomaly. This will allow you to greatly limit the risks to your company and will be able to quickly identify the origin of possible leaks.
7. Identify and manage vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities in your systems must be identified and monitored on a recurring basis, in order to take care of them as quickly as possible. This will allow you to limit the extent of losses in the event of a cyberattack.
8. Perform updates
It’s important to make sure that all your software, including your operating system, web browsers, and all the tools you use are regularly updated and have the latest security patches. These updates are essential to improving your cyber hygiene, and that of your business.
