Unfortunately, there's no shortage of headlines about recent cyber attacks. In fact, according to Cybersecurity Ventures, a cyber attack incident will occur every 11 seconds in 2021. This is nearly twice the rate in 2019 (every 19 seconds), and four times what it was in 2016 (every 40 seconds).

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Cyber Security Best Practices

When considering how to safeguard your system, these ten tips are a great place to start.

1. Keep software applications and operating systems up-to-date.
2. Use a password manager, use upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters, as well as, two-factor authentication (two methods of verification).
3. Watch for suspicious activity that asks you to do something right away, offers something that sounds too good to be true or needs your personal information. Think before you click, and when in doubt, do NOT click. Do not provide personal information.
4. Use encrypted (secure) Internet communications.
5. Protect your home and/or business using a secure Internet connection and Wi-Fi network.
6. Use a stronger authentication such as a personal identification number (PIN) or password that only you would know. Consider using a separate device that can receive a code or uses a biometric scan (e.g. fingerprint scanner or facial recognition).
7. Check your account statements and credit reports regularly.
8. Only share personal information on secure sites (e.g. “https://”). Do not use sites with invalid certificates. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that creates a more secure connection.
9. Use antivirus solutions, malware and firewalls to block threats.
10. Regularly back up your files in an encrypted file or encrypted file storage device.

Source: The U.S. Government’s ready.gov website.