Stay Safe At Work And Home With Cybersecurity Protection.
If you own a house, you naturally have homeowners’ insurance to protect your property. (Check.)
If you drive a vehicle, you have car insurance. There’s just no question. (Check.)
You maintain health insurance to defray the cost of medical expenses and protect you and family members should you need emergency care. (Check.)
But how are you protecting yourself in today’s digital world? For many of us, our workspaces are in the home and our meetings happen online. With social distancing, many of us have logged on to a Zoom happy hour, birthday party, or graduation event by now. Not to mention that e-learning in the wake of the pandemic requires bandwidth. Do you have cyber protection to secure your personal and business information?
If you’ve checked the boxes for protecting your home, vehicle, and health but are overlooking the exposures we face daily due to our reliance on the internet, now’s the time to plan and protect your digital environment. The good news is you don’t have to do this alone, and there are accessible resources to guide the process.
Proceed with Caution
If you were visiting an unfamiliar place, you would watch for street traffic and tune into your surroundings, proceeding with caution. This same approach is necessary in the digital world. Be cognizant of where you are and who you interact with online. Fraud is rampant amid COVID-19, with the Federal Trade Commission reporting that Americans have lost about $77 million due to cyber fraud during the coronavirus crisis. So:
- Avoid blindly clicking on links in emails. Safety first!
- Behave online as you would in uncharted territory.
- Don’t accept online invitations from unknown parties. We tell our children to watch out for strangers. That’s good advice online as well.
Secure Your Work Environment
Whether you’re working remotely or in an office, cybersecurity is a critical tool. Just as you need a computer and internet connection, you should have cyber protection in place to guard the data you’re transferring via the cloud or company networks. You also need a plan.
- Communicate with your team about the importance of internet safety and awareness while working online.
- Be sure you have the hardware and software in place to support remote and in-office business. Don’t forget two-factor authentication when available! A virtual Chief Technology Officer (CTO) can help as a third-party resource for businesses that do not have in-house IT staff, addressing security measures like firewalls and antivirus programs to prevent malware and bad actors from compromising data.
- If your business handles consumer information—such as Personal Identifiable Information (PII) or credit/debit card numbers—how will you protect this data from fraudsters? A CTO or insurance advisor can help you plan for a potential breach so you can react quickly in worst-case scenarios.
Address Personal Safety
The whole family is online all the time, for recreation, for education, and for work responsibilities. Even our doctors’ appointments are happening online with the rise in telehealth. With the increase in phishing scams and hacking attempts, cybersecurity has never been more important. Remember:
- Cyber insurance isn’t just for businesses. Personal insurance policies should include cybercoverage to help protect personal information.
- Cyber-attack coverage protects you against the financial consequences of personal online attacks (such as cyberbullying) on social media and attacks against the integrity of your home system.
- Make a commitment to review your insurance policy and update coverage to include the protection you and your family need to safely work, learn, and meet online.
