Protecting yourself from a data breach

You may have seen the news around the world of certain telecommunications companies being breached by hackers. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world or what you do for your business, you are not hidden from hackers. Large businesses and small businesses have dealt with data breaches over time, and the facts of life here is that data breaches happen every single day. 

The biggest data breaches can affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and with an increasing move to digital life, we are seeing more advanced technology but also more advanced hacking systems. Whether you are signing an agreement for consent management or you are looking at ways you can add security to your systems, you need to make sure that you’re protecting yourself from the data breach. Here is how you can do that.

• Take a look at password management. Did you know that 81% of Americans reuse the passwords for more than one account? It’s so important that it’s changed for stronger and different passwords for each location you log into. Passwords must be long and strong containing both upper and lower case letters with numbers and special symbols. You need to ensure that you are making it tough for cyber criminals to jump into your details.
• Employ the use of multifactor authentication. Two factor authentication is the usual time, and it’s an extra security layer that can protect your accounts in a way that a password alone doesn’t. Enabling multi factor authentication where possible is going to help you to avoid a data breach and it’s going to confuse hackers. It’s the equivalent of CCTV cameras outside your building – once hackers see this it becomes too much work.
• Only provide the necessary information. It pays to be attentive to your personal data so when someone requests your details from you, it’s always a good idea to check for the following questions in mind. Does the information really have to be shared? Do you trust the company asking you for that information? Is there a privacy policy in place? All of these questions have to be answered if you want to protect yourself from a future breach. 
• Consider your document storage. No matter how you are storing your documents right now you must consider how you do it in the future. If you’re not securing your documents right now securely enough, then that should be something you work on. Take your time to do your research here because it’s going to make a big difference between whether or not you avoid hacking or you have to deal with future issues. 
• Keep an eye on your credit. A good way to determine whether or not your data has been breached is to check your bank statements and get free credit reports regularly. If somebody still manages to mess with your credit card or your business credit, you need to make sure that you are checking these things to get rid of them as soon as you can. 

29/09/2022