How to protect yourself against cyber attacks

This article was published on Thu 24 Oct 2019. At the time of publishing, this article was true and accurate, however, over time this may have changed. If you have any concerns about this please contact us

How to protect yourself against cyber attacks

Thu 24 Oct 2019

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and we’re doing our bit to raise awareness about cybercrime and how it can affect your daily life – whilst bringing you top tips on how to stay safe online.

We’re more connected to technology than ever before. From shopping and online banking, to email and social media, our personal information is increasingly digitalised. And as a consequence, the threat of cyberattacks continues to expand and evolve.

That’s why it’s vitally important to stay secure and safe online.

What is cybercrime?

Cybercrime is any criminal activity that involves a computer or network.

Examples include, fraud, bullying, theft or grooming that are committed online using a device, such as smartphones, tablets or other devices.

Cybercrime also includes crimes against your computer or device, such as contaminating or corrupting it with viruses or taking-over your social media profile, email account or your website.

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is the measures you can take to protect the devices you use, and services you access online from cybercrime. Cyber security is also a way of preventing unauthorised access to your personal information that you store on a device or online.

Now that smartphones, computers and the internet are such a fundamental part of everyday life, cyber security is essential for everyone, not just businesses, to go about their day-to-day lives.

What can I do to protect myself?

There are a number of steps you can take to stay safe and secure online. From updating your privacy settings, to getting the latest software, here are some tips and resources to help you protect your devices and data.

OWN IT

Stay safe on social media by limiting what you share, changing your passwords and checking your security settings.

You should also update your privacy settings regularly, whether this is on shopping websites, your email or music services you use.

Make sure your personal information is safe on the apps you download, too. With so many apps available, data like your name, email address or home address may be being used without realising it.

SECURE IT

By creating strong passwords or turning on multifactor authentication (double log-in), you’re building stronger layers of protection against your personal information and keeping your devices well-protected.

PROTECT IT

It’s also important that you are using the latest security software and apply updates when possible. This will help to ensure cybercriminals are kept out – and stay out!