Recent headlines about how Russian hacks could affect our election or how cyber attacks have taken down major websites has brought to mind how important it is for all of us to keep a watch on our own personal online security. I spoke with my good friend David Lucht of WP-Sanity.com who is an expert in cyber security matters and website design. He provided me with the following tips to share:
“Make sure each of your computers are equipped with antivirus software and anti-spyware and update them regularly. Software is readily available online from a variety of vendors. These software vendors regularly provide patches and updates to their products to correct security problems and improve functionality.
No software will suddenly pop-up on your screen and tell you that you are infected with a number of threats and that for some $$$ they will fix the issues. That’s a scam.
Educate Employees about Cyber Threats
Educate your employees about online threats and how to protect your business’s data, including safe use of social networking sites. Depending on the nature of your business, employees may damage your company’s reputation or might be introduce competitors to sensitive details about your firm’s internal business. It’s important to hold employees accountable to the business’s Internet security policies and procedures.
Require Employees to USE STRONG PASSWORDS and to Change Them Periodically
Passwords don’t have to be guessed to crack anymore. There are software programs designed to do that and they are incredibly effective. Passwords need to use upper and lower case letters, some numbers and some symbols. Here’s an example: !!TallGoat66$ that’s easy to remember and scores as a strong password. Consider implementing multifactor authentication that requires additional information beyond a password to gain entry. Check with your vendors that handle sensitive data, especially financial institutions, to see if they offer multifactor authentication for your account.
Securing the Popular WordPress Website Platform
Now days more and more websites are designed using the WordPress platform. If you have such a website, keeping it up-to-date is critical. Updates come out almost daily and most of them seem to be fixing security vulnerabilities. If this is a task that you don’t want to deal with, there are inexpensive services that can maintain your site for you.”
Thanks Dave! By the way Dave has done a fantastic job for me on this very website. If you have questions on website design or cyber security I recommend you call Dave. He can be reached at 916-661-8422 or [email protected].
Jeff Adams
