The Need to Protect Your Personal and Work Devices

Lots of us got new devices over the Christmas period, whether from Santa or a bargain from the January sales, but those new phones, tablets and laptops need protecting before you start to use them! Many of us use the same devices for work and in our personal lives but equally large amounts of us fail to ensure we have adequate protection on our devices. This leaves us open to cybercrime which threatens our personal information and identity and also that of our company.

Take the time to read this short blog and put into practice these simple suggestions that will greatly enhance the security of your technology.

Update

Make sure you have the latest updates installed on your mobile phones to desktop operating system installations and everything in between. It is very easy to click remind me later for weeks on end without ever making the update, do it now before it is too late.

Wi-Fi

Turn off your devices’ ability to search for networks and connect without security checks. Free wifi is not always and generally not often a good thing! You want to be in control of deciding which networks you are visible to and which you connect to, you should only access data and information via a secure connection. Turn off Bluetooth when you are not using it to stop remote hackers. These tips will also save on battery power – always a winner!

Backup

Back up your device! Whether it is to an external hard drive or more likely to a cloud make sure you do this, ideally have you phone automatically backing up important data and syncing with your tablet and laptop when possible.

Passwords

Ensure that your devices are password protected with as secure a combination as possible which will give your information much greater protection should your device be lost or stolen. If your phone has a 4-digit passcode on its simplest setting, change it to a longer 8 digit one and add in fingerprint recognition or other additional security measure should they be available to you. Do not save your passwords in the browser, take autofill off to prevent your web browser saving your passwords in this way.

AntiVirus

Install and update an antivirus package on your machine before you access the internet. This is a basic that often goes by the wayside. This simple measure offers great protection to you particularly when browsing the net or emailing. Turn on outbound blocking and logging on Windows Advanced Firewall on your laptop prevent malware from being able to access their master servers, should you be infected.

Tracking

You should make use of inbuilt Android  or install a tracking and remote wipe app on your android product. This is invaluable if your phone is lost or stolen either in locating the device or in remotely wiping sensitive data.

Terms & Conditions

So often when accessing a new site for shopping, banking or other things you will be asked to accept terms and conditions. These are legally binding conditions which are agreeing to when you check the box and many contain terms regarding the data you are inputting and signing over (this can include payment details). Please read all terms and conditions before agreeing to them for your own safety and security.