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For many, it’s part of the New Year’s ritual: New Year’s resolutions! According to Statista, the top three resolutions in Germany this year include saving more money, doing more sport, and eating more healthily. 17% of respondents even said they wanted to spend less time on social networks. When using social media, however, it is also important to make the user experience itself as secure as possible.
In the following blog post, we introduce you to five resolutions that will help you increase your IT security and support your approach to IT.
1. Assign Secure Passwords
Your data is only as secure as the password you set. In the new year, we would like to support you in assigning secure passwords. Security questions can give you a clue. It is difficult to find out which concert you went to first or where your parents met. In combination with other numbers, letters, and special characters, you can ensure that your data is better protected and prevent personal information from falling into the wrong hands. So if your passwords are 12345 or 0000, then you know what to do! We have already provided you with further important tips on password security in an earlier article.
2. Using Multifactor-Authentication (MFA)
Many of you are familiar with multifactor authentication from online banking. It is a security method that enables access to digital resources such as devices, networks, or online services by combining several authentication factors. To prevent hackers from accessing your online accounts, you should protect them with an additional factor other than just your password. MFA as a multi-level identification, for example via a hardware key or a randomly generated security code on an end device, increases the security of your online accounts enormously. You can find more information on MFA methods in the recently published article on this blog.
3. Performing Backups Regularly
You’ve lost your smartphone, damaged your laptop – and important files such as academic papers, work samples, or souvenir photos are gone. To prevent such a loss of data, you should back up your important data regularly. It is best to back them up at least twice and on different independent storage media. For example, you can use an external hard disk or a cloud.
4. Performing Updates
Many users postpone pending updates, which regularly appear as reminders on the screen. This can become a problem if cyber criminals gain access to personal data through security gaps. Software updates are very important as they often contain critical patches for security vulnerabilities. Therefore, always run updates as quickly as possible to protect yourself from cyber attacks.
5. Tidying Up the Workplace
And last but not least: a tidy workplace is a little oasis of well-being. This applies to both your own desk and your digital workspace. Use the turn of the year to create order. Make sure your desk is clear, tidy away important documents, and dispose of things you no longer need. Also create new structures when creating files on your computer. This will not only free up space, but also ensure a more efficient workflow.
Can you think of any other New Year’s resolutions for IT security? What goals have you set yourself? Let us know in the comments.
Responsible for the content of this article is Jelena Nikolić.
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