Business happens some days at a breakneck speed with many tasks to complete and clients to handle. Most business professionals, from employees to company leadership, have more than enough work to keep them busy. Part of the daily workload probably includes accessing  business software and the internet through emails, social media and more. Unfortunately, the long list of things-to-do may not include appropriate online security for your data including work habits that may leave your company vulnerable to malware and viruses. Complacency about work habits can mean dealing with malware or other security issues down the line. Here are a few guidelines to help your company avoid malware and viruses that can open your company up to a host of security issues.
- Passwords – StopSign Internet Security recommends protecting your passwords just as carefully as you do your social security number. Don’t make it easy for hackers or people who have evil intentions to get to your data. Use passwords that use a combinations of letters, numbers, symbols and characters. Gone are the days of 123456 and QWERTY. Change passwords regularly and dont, dont keep them on a sticky not at your desk.
- Attachments – Businesses deal with hundreds of emails a day from known clients, contractors, and sometimes unknown sources. Do not open attachments when you do not know the sender. Hackers love to slip their viruses and malware into email attachments because they know they’re going to get clicked. If they’re clicked, they’re getting their bad stuff installed. Scrutinize every email attachment and don’t click on it, download it, or even preview it until you’re sure it’s from a reliable source. (Source: StopSign Internet Security)
- Questionable Sites – Yes business professionals visit multiple sites daily, weekly and monthly. Avoid questionable sites including adult sites and sites asking for money or log in information, and data about your company.
- Software Updates – Keep your software current – this includes Java, Adobe Flash, and internet browsers like Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox – as well as regular Windows Updates. The more updated your software is, especially your security software, the less likely you are to get malware. Make one person in your office in charge of regular updates or choose update automatically where possible.
- Firewall Updates – A firewall is a set of rules that chooses which information can access your PC. It can help prevent malware infections by stopping suspicious programs from getting onto your PC, or accessing the internet once installed.