The protection of data helps to reduce the threat of cyber attacks that could affect your company or personal reputation. It is important to know and adhere to the best practices for protecting sensitive information. A breach of your private information could lead to lawsuits and fines that could be long-term consequences for your company or you personally.

Passwords protect all devices and files This simple step can help stop hackers from gaining access to your information. Use strong passwords with complex combinations of numbers, letters and symbols. Change default passwords offered by vendors to more secure ones whenever you can. Update your anti-virus software regularly and run a security scan on your computer and servers.

Don’t share confidential or personally specific information via email. This includes Social Security numbers, bank account information passwords, etc. Email is not secure and may be accessed by unfriendly parties.

Make sure your network and data are secure. Make sure your computers, laptops, and portable storage devices are secured by using strong encryption when sending information to third party parties and to safeguard the information stored on these devices. It is also essential to have a plan for responding to cyber attacks which includes who to inform and how to respond (e.g., employees, customers, credit agencies).

Make sure you have a backup of all your data – Keep offline copies of your most important data in separate locations from the ones where your primary copies are kept. This can prevent attackers from gaining access to your primary copies, or from deleting them.

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