5 Easy steps to prevent most breaches

Did you know that 89% of cyber security breaches are caused by human error?  This is someone clicking on something they shouldn’t of clicked on or someone providing sensitive information to a malicious actor.

Phishing attacks, or fake emails are of the most used tactics to trick you and here are 5 easy steps to help protect you in the future.

1. – The first tip is to use a trusted and well known email provider, even if you have to pay for it.   A lot of people use the email system that comes with their web hosting company because it is free.   Use someone like Google or Microsoft to host your email.  They see millions upon millions of emails on a daily basis and know the current threats and how to stop or filter them.
2. Tip number 2 is to call the person. If it is someone that you know and you weren’t expecting an email from them, then just pick up the phone and call them.  Do not reply to the email asking them if it is safe because if their email was compromised then the malicious actor on the other end will just reply with a, yes it is safe and you should definitely click on the link!
3. Tip number 3 is to call your IT department or your Managed Services Provider. We are trained to identify phishing attempts so who better to ask then the experts.  If you Don’t have an IT company to call, then call us. We will take a look at it for you.
4. Tip number 4 is to learn how to identify a phishing email.
   a)  The first is to hover over any links in the email.  Don’t click on them, just hover over them with your mouse.  It will show you where the link is going. Look for any misspellings in the link.  Look to see if it doesn’t have httpS which means it is an insecure link.  If it looks off, DON’T click on it.
   b)  The second thing to look at is the from. The name might be someone you recognize but look at the actual email address. Look for misspellings or if it is an email address you don’t recognize then it is probably a phishing attempt.
   c)  Finally look for grammatical errors. This is a key indication it is a phishing attempt.This one takes a little practice but learn how to identify a phishing email. There are 3 big key indicators to look out for.
5. Invest in a well know AV or Anti-Virus. Don’t get the free version. Go out and purchase a leader and someone proven in stopping active threats.   If you are tricked by a phishing email and accidently click on a link or download an attachment then any decent AV protection should be able to stop the threat but this should always be your last line of defense.