11 Cybersecurity Awareness Tips

cybersecurity awareness tips

Staying protected from cyberattacks is challenging. It’s difficult to keep up when one click can cost your business millions of dollars. Ideally, everyone in your organization should be engaged in ongoing cybersecurity training, but in many cases, this is not happening. So, we have compiled a list of several cybersecurity awareness tips that will help you and your business prevent cyber-attacks. 

Keep Your Software up to Date

Part of a strong vulnerability management program involves keeping your entire network up to date. Ignoring notifications for software updates can put your system at risk. Install the latest security patches to fix vulnerabilities in your software and operating system.  

Think Before you Click  

While you might think you’d never click on a link in a sketchy email, phishing attacks are one of the most common ways cybercriminals access private data. Be suspicious of any unknown links in emails and never open unsolicited attachments. You should also make sure your employees have regular security awareness training and access to cybersecurity awareness tips on how to spot and avoid phishing attacks.

Discover how Difenda reduced the number of “risky users” in a company’s network and limited the amount of data loss from malware in just three months. Download our latest case study!

Protect your Personal Information

Social engineering refers to all techniques aimed at tricking people into giving up their personal information. Unless you’re completely sure of whom you’re speaking to, never give out your personal information over the phone or in an email. Think carefully about what you share on social media as well. 

Back up Company Data 

Back up your company data on external hard drives and cloud-based services on a daily basis. This is one of the best defenses against a ransomware attack. Even if cyber criminals lock your servers, you won’t be forced to pay a ransom to get your files back.   

Secure your Mobile Devices  

In today’s mobile work environment, it’s common for company data to be stored on employees’ phones. Mobile malware has been on the rise in the last few years. To stay secure, protect your devices with passwords, back up your phone data, and enable endpoint detection measures.  

Beware of Internal Threats

Securing your external defenses isn’t enough to protect your company- take precautions to guard yourself against internal threats. Fifty-five percent of all cyber-attacks come from inside the organization, according to security intelligence. Whether these attacks occur inadvertently or due to malicious intent, you need to focus on your employees to protect your company.  

Encrypt Data

Encryption is a key element of your cybersecurity strategy. It refers to the process of making your data unreadable to unauthorized individuals so it’s harder for cybercriminals to access your information. Encryption algorithms are difficult to break, making it a highly effective form of cybersecurity.  

Engage Incident Responders

You should have an agreement with digital forensics and incident responders who you can turn to when a breach has been detected. Remember it’s not a question of it, but when. When an incident does occur, they’ll be able to secure your environment and mitigate any further threat activity.  

Gain Situational Awareness

Do you know what kinds of attacks or probes you’re being subjected to? You need appropriate technologies and processes in place to continuously monitor your environment for malicious activity or attempts. If you don’t have the resources in-house, outsource these services to the experts.  

Consider Cybersecurity in the Context of your BYOD Strategy

More and more companies encourage their employees to bring their own devices to work. There are many benefits to the BYOD movement, but it also raises multiple security issues. Since you can’t secure these devices in the same way as corporate devices, make sure to establish proper policies and security controls to protect your data.  

Partner with a Cybersecurity Expert

Not sure where to begin when it comes to cybersecurity? Consider partnering with an industry expert. A cybersecurity consultant will work with you to determine your vulnerabilities and plan how to secure your environment. While it’s an investment, partnering with a cybersecurity firm will ultimately save you money and frustration down the line.

Looking for additional support with your SAT program? Download Difenda’s Guide To Launching An Effective Security Awareness Program!

Our Partners

Penetration Testing Whitepaper

Threat Intelligence

Subscribe to receive insider threat intelligence from Difenda’s front line security analysts in our 24/7/365 SOC.

Ken Perkins

Biography coming soon.

Megan Miller

Megan Miller’s energy and passion for learning flow into all aspects of her work. As the Growth Manager, North America, she brings a background in sciences which she has transitioned to the tech sector in her role at Difenda.

With a Bachelors of Science in Geology, Megan is a lifelong learner who is voracious about learning anything she can get her hands on about cybersecurity. Her positive energy has built a sales strategy with a focus on expanding in the United States while nurturing the Canadian presence. She is responsible for recruiting and training the sales team. Together with the company’s leadership, she creates the sales process and the company’s product strategy in order to better serve the customer base. This ensures that our customers have a highly trained and highly motivated team to help them every step of the way, Megan has completed Microsoft SC-900 training and working towards mastering Microsoft.

Whether at work or play, Megan is fully committed. She took her love of hockey all the way to the semi-professional level as a competitive hockey player. Megan loves all things sports including water skiing, scuba diving, cycling, and snowboarding. She also enjoys time with family and reading about alternative energy, innovation, and cybersecurity.

Natasha Phanor

As the Microsoft Partner Manager at Difenda, Natasha Phanor is responsible for driving growth within our Microsoft Partnership. With six years in the industry, she offers a fresh, energetic approach, and the ability to focus on our customer’s needs throughout the entire process. Natasha has the innate ability to foresee customer needs and solve problems before they arise, which creates a smooth road for each customer she encounters.

As the recipient of the Outstanding Services Partner of the Year Award in 2018, it is clear that Natasha responds quickly to customer needs, creates a platform for understanding a customer’s business requirements, and walks them through the process to ensure their complete satisfaction.

In her spare time, Natasha is as energetic and passionate as she is on the job. A self-proclaimed foodie-extraordinaire, she enjoys dinner parties, traveling, downhill skiing, hiking, biking, and reading. Natasha has a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Dance, from Ryerson University.

Lisa Templeton

Lisa Templeton is the perfect combination of human empathy and technological prowess. In her role as People Services Manager, she takes care of our team members to support them in their daily work, as well as on their personal life paths. Happy employees make for happy customers, and Lisa excels in giving our employees the tools they need for success in order to become the best possible versions of themselves. Along with employee formation, she shines in the service delivery support domain to continuously improve the process. Her 24 years of experience in IT Operations and Service Management help her create quality and efficiency at Difenda.

Having attended the Information Systems Management certificate program at Ryerson University, and with various other certifications to her credit, Lisa is perceptive and innovative when it comes to information technology, but also sensitive to the needs of her human constituents. Responsible for achieving the first privately owned company HDI Support Center certification in Canada, she has also designed and implemented Service Management excellence programs and 24×7 IT Operations departments for multiple IT organizations, and has created corporate rewards and recognition programs to keep her employees engaged and motivated.

On the personal side, Lisa passionately supports the cause of breast cancer research, having lost her mother to the disease. She reads voraciously in her spare time, and enjoys the art of home renovation. The summer months also bring time on her boat and exploring new hiking trails.

Miranda McCurdy

Miranda McCurdy uses her myriad super powers in all aspects of her job and personal life. As the Marketing Director at Difenda, Miranda McCurdy brings over a decade of experience to the table, which includes expertise in all facets of operations, brand management, and content marketing, as well as a multitude of successful strategies for the ever-expanding digital world. She is an expert at simplifying the message the company is trying to send, filling in gaps in the information, and strengthening the content in order to create compelling narratives that strengthen the brand and developing programs that bring teams together.

With several Addy Awards issued by the American Advertising Federation Cleveland to her credit, and her never say die attitude, Miranda understands both the broader picture and the minute details that are needed to successfully market a product. With her abilities to harness both the talent needed to spread the message, as well as to create the message itself, she is an integral cog in the company’s ability to communicate with customers and other stakeholders.

When she is not building a brand, she shares her ability to fill the gaps in her community by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, and the Charleston Food Bank. In her spare time, Miranda spends time with her family, enjoys fitness and health, paddle boarding, reading, and arts and crafts.

Juliana Zaremba

Connections are the name of the game for Juliana Zaremba. As Strategic Partnerships Director, she is responsible for Difenda’s channel partnerships and the development and ownership of the channel partner program. She is also responsible for the global Microsoft Partnership, including the creation of strategic plans with MSFT contacts that will facilitate the continued growth of the business and establish certification and training protocols in all security technologies. Her role is multifaceted, as she acquires partners, manages relationships with them, and develops strategies that will provide cutting edge security solutions to our customer base. Another integral aspect of her job is to facilitate growth.

With a Bachelor’s in Math from the University of Waterloo and 14 years of experience from her previous roles at Herjavec Group and CDW, her cutting edge focus and ability to develop long-lasting relationships and strategies provides world class security solutions to our customer base.

Juliana thrives on connections outside of work as well. She is a philanthropist and contributor with Women4Change based in Hamilton. This group of local women is passionate about supporting local causes, and she focuses her efforts around Women in STEM. She is also a member of Club Italia in Niagara Falls and supports their youth events throughout the year.

When not managing the Microsoft Global partnership, Juliana enjoys reading, often reading several books at once. Juliana enjoys exploring the Niagara Escarpment with her family, as well as sharing meals and experiences with her extended family. Juliana’s competitive nature has her always trying new things, like Whoop band challenges and Peloton.

Jeffry Jacob

Biography Coming Soon