Security Is A Team Effort
By Ken Caballero
Taking steps to protect yourself online can protect your family and friends too. Cybercriminals will often use information gleaned in attacks to create new and more targeted efforts against your known contacts.
Family and friends are more liable to trust us than others. If your account details are compromised and used to send spam, they may click on links in your message that contain malware. This cascading effect where one compromise leads to another is a sure way to perpetuate the cybercrime cycle.
Take time to secure your details not only for your self or your business, but also for your family and friends. Here are a few handy tips that can help you and others to stay safe:
- Think twice before you click once. It only takes one mouse click to unwittingly infect your systems with malware sent through a suspicious link.
- Double check with friends and family. If someone you know sends a link or attachment that you were not expecting, ask them to verify the message before opening the file or clicking the link. Friends and family won’t mind.
- Watch each others backs. If you see someone’s account has been hijacked, send a message so change their password right away. It won’t undo the breach, but it could limit the damage.
Mako is proud to partner with Connect Smart Week, a New Zealand government programme to improve online safety. Learn more at the Connect Smart website.