Microsoft identifies 10 rules to improve cyber hygiene

Microsoft Poland has identified 10 ‘cyber hygiene’ rules to help businesses prevent potential data breaches and reduce the chance of a cyberattack. It recommends that businesses should:

1. Share personal information in real time, either face to face or by phone/video call. If they need to send data by post, they should use encryption.
2. Be cautious of opening and responding to emails that contain links to internet pages, especially those that ask for personal data or contain attachments.
3. Never open unexpected attachments, even if they come from trusted people at recognised organisations. This will reduce the chances of digital threats.
4. Use passwordless methods when logging into various accounts. Using the Microsoft Authenticator application enables multifactor authentication to autofill passwords and sign in to accounts automatically.
5. Create a unique password made up of at least 14 characters, numbers and special characters, if a password must be made to reduce the risk of being hacked.
6. Ensure all mobile devices are locked with pins, facial or fingerprint recognition to further improve security.
7. Update software as soon as possible to improve the solution’s response to security threats.
8. Ensure that all installed applications are from official stores appropriate for the device they are using.
9. Install a system that is supported by the manufacturer of the device.
10. Use browsers in private mode with pop-up blockers turned on to provide further protection against threats. Microsoft strongly recommends that browsers are always updated for security as soon as possible.

“I wanted to point out the things that are sometimes neglected, or to define it more precisely, the time and attention of people responsible for security are not often devoted to them,” said Michal Jaworski, director of technology strategy at Microsoft. “It is about basic principles, actions and rules that we should require of everyone.”