When it comes to network security breaches, we're getting to the point where the problem just might be our own indifference. You probably won’t be surprised to find out today there was news out of London reporting a security breach at a South Wales Fire and Rescue service. Last week, the University of Central Florida announced its network had been compromised, resulting in unauthorized access to an estimated 63,000 current and former students’ Social Security numbers. Why is it that no matter how many times we hear about some new security breach, we continue to let so many bad personal security habits go unchecked?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how cutting-edge your organization’s network security is, it only takes one employee’s lax attitude to cause a detrimental breach. That’s why it’s so important to educate every last person on the team about the importance of good personal security habits. We introduced CompTIA CyberSecure to spread that word, and to ultimately weed out the root causes behind the most common security vulnerabilities.
If you’re looking to improve your own security, here are five fundamental changes you can enact in order to better protect yourself and your company.
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Be accountable
Knowing there’s a problem isn’t enough to concoct a solution—you have to know every detail of a cyber threat to ensure it’s completely neutralized. Without accountability, that can’t happen. Owning up to mistakes can be tough, but it’s the best way to make sure security threats are fully dealt with. -
Educate yourself
You’d think we’d be past the point where “password” and “123456” could top a year-end list of the most commonly used passwords, yet here we are. The fact of the matter is, it’s important to encourage absolutely every last person in an organization to develop basic security skills, including password protection and safe browsing habits. -
Heed policies and procedures
Company security policies and procedures exist to better protect an organization’s unique security vulnerabilities. Making sure everyone is up to date with all relevant info ensures they can be as effective as they were intended to be. -
Be a skeptic
Social engineering is another way networks can be broken into, and being a skeptic is the best way to ensure you’re not susceptible to it. Do you click on links in emails from unknown senders? Are you reticent to provide personal details when signing up for something? Ask questions, and always be sure of what you’re singing up for. -
Send a clear message
If you’ve ever played the game telephone, you' understand how quickly a message can shapeshift beyond its original meaning. The best way to ensure security policy procedures are effectively, uniformly followed is to make sure they’re explicit and concise. If there’s even a hint of a gray area, do your best to spell out the obvious. And if you’ve got a question about a policy, don’t hesitate to ask.
If you’re looking to shore up security within your organization, CompTIA CyberSecure is a great place to start. We’re dedicated to supporting the mission to increase awareness of the importance of company-wide security education. To that effect, we’re currently offering 50 free CyberSecure online training seats ($1,250 value) and a 10 percent discount to purchase additional seats. Please contact Kevin Liesen at [email protected] to activate your free seats. Click here to access an informative brochure about CyberSecure.
