Blogs and Posts

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities You Shouldn’t Forget About

• By: Garry Feldman
• Date: May 23, 2018

We’ve grown accustomed to the threat of physical theft and take precautions to protect ourselves, but we tend to forget about our digital assets. There’s constant risk to our data security, and simple issues like weak credentials, outdated software and malware leave you vulnerable to a data breach.

Many people don’t believe they’re targeted by hackers or don’t realize the extent of the risks of being online, but like anything else, taking proactive steps to protect yourself is always easier than reacting to breach after it’s happened.

Take a look at some of these common data breach opportunities:

Stolen Devices

Your mobile device is basically a small computer. It holds all your photos, calls, emails, texts and much of your personal information. Some people also have their business or professional information on their phone as well, which puts them at greater risk if it’s lost or stolen.

This is one of the leading causes of a data breach, so it’s important to ensure you have strong password protection and multi-factor authentication whenever possible.

Wi-Fi

We’re always quick to find a strong Wi-Fi hotspot when we’re trying to access information in public, but many hackers know this. They often create hotspots that appear to be public Wi-Fi connections, which gives them access to all your sensitive information on your phone or laptop.

When you’re searching for a public Wi-Fi connection, be sure that you only connect to legitimate Wi-Fi hotspots.

Employee Threats

Businesses are vulnerable to a data breach or leak from careless employees or vengeful employees. Unfortunately, these breaches and leaks can be detrimental to corporate and personal information, especially for businesses that store sensitive personal information about their clients.

The best way to protect yourself from an insider security threat is with software that’s designed to track the location and movement of valuable data and wipe data from devices that have been compromised, stolen or lost.

Software Updates

Updates can be time consuming, so many people put off their software updates as long as possible. Unfortunately, this can cause a weakness in your cybersecurity and leave your information vulnerable to ransomware, malware and other cyber threats.

To stay safe, always be sure to update your software as soon as it’s available.

Unofficial Applications

There are a lot of tricks hackers use to gain access to information, and malicious mobile applications are a top choice. This is an easy way to siphon information from a user’s mobile device or computer without any risk.

Before you download a mobile app, check the reviews and only download apps from official app stores. Don’t download any apps that have access to sensitive data, such as financial information, without thorough research.

Browse Our Services at U.S. Computer Connection

These are a few simple ways to protect your information from the many cyber-security threats you’ll encounter online, but hackers find new ways to access information every day.

If you’d like to take a proactive role in protecting your business’s sensitive data, contact U.S. Computer Connection to discuss our IT services. We’ve been an IT support company serving business owners for many years, and we’re certain we can develop a proactive solution to all your business’s IT and cyber-security needs.