Repeat After Me: 7 Cybersecurity Mantras for 2021

With 2020 in the rearview, we can say it was somewhat of a rocky year for cybersecurity. With COVID-19 forcing many organizations to shift their workforce to remote environments almost overnight, security and business continuity concerns hit hard for IT stakeholders and end users alike.

Unsurprisingly, the chaos of a global pandemic was ripe with opportunity for scammers and hackers. In fact, cyber insurance and security company Coalition observed a 47% increase in the severity of ransomware attacks and a whopping 100% increase in the count from 2019 to Q1 2020.

With compromised credentials remaining a key component in most cyberattacks, here are seven cybersecurity mantras to live by in 2021!

1. I will be security-aware.

Being security-aware means that you understand there are people out there who will deliberately (or even by accident) steal or misuse your personal information. Awareness is the first step; next comes education and diligence around cybersecurity.

Pro tip: Sign up for text and email alerts to get informed about important activity on your bank and credit card accounts. If you’ve misplaced your wallet, you can easily shut off your cards on your accounts’ apps. (I can say from personal experience doing this can give you peace of mind until you finally find your wallet under the driver’s seat of your car.)

2. I will stop at the autofilling station for online shoppers.

Have sensitive personal information stored in your web browser? Protect it with form autofill from a password manager like LastPass. Autofill allows form fields online to be automatically populated with your relevant information. If you use password autofill, your username and password are automatically filled in when you visit sites you’ve saved.

For example, if you do online banking, every time you visit your bank website, your username and password will automatically populate in the correct fields – so you can log in with one click!

But autofill doesn’t stop at passwords. You can also autofill addresses, credit card information and more.

3. I will only visit secure, trustworthy websites.

You don’t need to be a security expert to know if you are on a safe, legitimate website. Simply check the URL to confirm there’s an “s” after “http” at the beginning (like this post’s URL!)

By the way, that “s” stands for “secure”. When you’re on your local Starbucks’ or any airport’s Wi-Fi network, you aren’t on a secure connection – so reconsider shopping on Amazon Prime until you get home.

4. I will treat my passwords with kindness and let them thrive.

Treat your passwords like you treat your child (or a puppy). They all thrive with discipline, structure and love, right? So for starters, stop leaving your passwords defenseless against cybercriminals because you’ve made them simple and easy to guess, or over-exposed through reuse on multiple websites.

Break the cycle with a simple password management tool like LastPass that will generate strong and unique passwords for every account, change them as often as you like (or as it advises), and keep them locked up tight.

5. I will keep my devices and applications updated.

When Apple, Microsoft or Google strongly encourage you to apply the latest mobile or laptop operating system update (e.g. Apple iOS, Windows) because of a security vulnerability, they aren’t kidding around! Update it – or if you’re too lazy (we understand), just configure the update to take place when you’re asleep.

The inconvenience of managing your software updates is significantly dwarfed by the ever-so-inconvenient identity theft. Check the settings on your laptops, tablets, and smartphones to manage automatic updates to apps, software, and operating systems. Don’t forget your browsers while you’re at it. They’re a gateway to everything important on your machine.

6. I will not overshare on social media.

Check your settings on Facebook, LinkedIn and any other social media site you use. Make sure your personal email address, phone numbers, addresses, and birthdate are only visible to you. (And maybe keep ‘em locked up in a password vault while you’re at it.) All cybercriminals need is a few bits of information about you to put together the rest of the puzzle.

7. I will stay motivated to keep my resolutions.

Be realistic when setting any of your goals. They should be attainable, not out of reach! Give yourself a reasonable timeline to meet your resolutions, and celebrate the little wins along the way.

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