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Concerned About Your EMAIL Security – Robust Protection From Email Spoofing

Concerned about Your Email Security- Robust Protection from Email Spoofing

No wonder emailing has replaced traditional forms of messaging. With lots of
advantages, it has brought some challenges also. Over the period of time, email applications have
evolved and become much more robust for security. At the same time though, email attacks have also
evolved to bring new challenges for businesses dealing with sensitive emails. The
primary aim of these attacks is to breach data, cause financial losses, malware
infections, and other forms of cyber harm. Today, email spoofing is one of the
biggest challenges for companies and email client developers. Therefore,
businesses are demanding advanced email spoofing support.
Benchmark IT Services (BITS) is the solution provider to deal with the issue of email security. The
company works closely with Acronis Cyber Protect (a leading name in cyber
protection) & AVAST security to help you get optimum control of email servers and deny any DNS/email spoofing attacks.

Let’s understand the problem in detail now.

Email Spoofing Vs Phishing

Before discussing the solutions BITS provides for robust email security, it is essential
to differentiate between email spoofing and phishing. Many people consider them the
same thing. However, they are different from each other.
Email spoofing is a specific technique to manipulate the sender's identity in an email
whereas phishing is a broader category of attacks that involve using deceptive
emails to manipulate recipients into taking certain actions that benefit the attacker.
However, both of them are serious cybersecurity threats that need continuous
vigilance and appropriate protective measures.
Email spoofing allows attackers to manipulate the sender’s email address in such a
way that the email appears authentic. The email spoofing goal is to deceive the
recipient into believing that the email is from someone they know or trust. Here, the
email header information is changed, including the quote to win the reliance of the
receivers.
If you ask how common is email spoofing? You may shock to learn that a staggering
1.3 billion spoofed emails generate and send every day. Banks, MNCs, financial
institutions, and government bodies are always the top target. Even small
organizations receive such emails day to day.

Protection against Email Spoofing:
BITS has joined hands with Acronis Cyber Protect to address email spoofing
attacks. It works on the following fronts:

Advanced Email Filtration & Authentication

It is working on advanced email filtering mechanisms to detect and filter out
malicious or suspicious emails. Techniques such as Sender Policy Framework
(SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message
Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) are greatly used to identify
incoming emails.

Malware Detection

Analysing email text and its attachments to detect malware, ransomware, and other
malicious payloads are essential. They can be embedded with spoofed emails. By
using advanced threat detection mechanisms, it ensures to locate and quarantine
such threats.

Creating Awareness

BITS can organize meetings with your workers to educate them about spoofing and
how to respond to such emails. It substantially reduces the rate of spoofing.

Real-Time Monitoring
BITS can back you with its round-the-clock service because real-time monitoring is
effective to identify the signs of suspicious emails and keep the admin alert against
them.

Data Protection and Backup
Along with data protection, a data backup facility can prevent your precious data if
you accidentally click the spoofed email. Regular backups, offsite storage,
redundancy, versioning, and disaster recovery are some supportive measures you
can expect to get under the backup support.

If you want to learn more about protection against email spoofing or are interested in
getting support, you can connect with Benchmark IT Services (BITS).

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Understanding Phishing Emails

What is Phishing, and how do you Handle it?

Email Phishing is a practice that hackers use to deceive the users by making their fraudulent communication appear as authentic. To understand Email Phishing better, let’s understand how such attacks take place. Phishing attacks happen when we receive an unknown email that looks from a known source and has some sort of attachment or a link. If we try to download the attachment or click the link, it might allow the attacker to steal confidential information and obtain control over the system.

The above images are examples of phishing emails. If we select the “Secure your account” option or click the link, we might fall victim to phishing attacks.

How can we prevent Phishing?

Training and education for the staff: We need to train the staff about spam emails. Need to show them some spam emails received previously and make them cautious. This helps organisations a lot in preventing phishing attacks.

Let them know the most common ways to identify if it is a suspicious email, such as:

Urgent call to action.
Unknown, first time or unusual sender.
The domain of the email doesn’t match the organisation.
Suspicious links or attachments.

Secure accounts and access: Encourage employees to use strong passwords and keep changing them regularly. Should also recommend they use multi-factor authentication to secure the device and data.

If an employee receives a suspicious email, then:

Report it, and the cybersecurity department will take care of the issue.
Try to do a hard delete of the email.
Try blocking the sender so you won’t receive any further emails from the same sender.
Try not to click on any suspicious links.

Phishing emails

Installing Security software: This is often considered the first line of defence because, if we have security software, it might block the phishing email from being delivered.
Keeping the software updated
Enforcing password policies: This includes setting up some rules while creating a password, such as the minimum length of the password, the special characters they can use, etc., to make it complex.
Allowing the use of multi-factor authentication.

How to check the email header for phishing emails?

Every email has three components: envelope, header, and message. The envelope is not always visible; the news is where we put the actual message. The title is visible to the sender and the recipient.

The header contains the sender, receiver, date, and subject details. It also shows us the security checks it has passed before the receiver has gotten the email.

To know if it is a phishing email or not, we can check if:

The sender address and domain match or not: if it doesn’t match them, it is a phishing email.
Email travel path and the email client.

How To Stay Safe Online: 8 Tips And Tricks

benchmarkitservices.com – How To Stay Safe Online_ 8 Tips And Tricks

Is your private information protected?

We all use the internet everyday, but do you really know how well your personal information is secured?

Cyber security is key. From hackers to phishers, there are people trying to take your money, your data and your life!

Thankfully, with a little knowledge you can stay safe from these influences, and by taking the 8 following steps you’ll be able to sleep easy knowing your digital life is in safe hands.

1. Understand Hackers Can Target You

Hackers are always on the lookout for unsuspecting users. They are always hunting for personal and financial information.

That said, everyone needs to understand that they too can be targeted/victims, hence take a proactive approach to keep the hackers out. One of the best ways to do this would be by remaining vigilant and careful whenever surfing the internet.

It’s always a good idea to back up your data just in case!

2. Ensure You Have the Latest Software Updates

Operating Systems and programs get regular updates to patch any vulnerabilities they might have, among other functions.

While it may not seem essential for you, keeping your operating system up-to-date, as well as the programs helps keep hackers away. Turning automatic updates on should help ensure your operating system gets updates whenever they are updated.

You should also do the same for other apps as well. This includes web browsers and plug-ins.

This will help ensure you don’t get any nasty malware or viruses.

3. Beware of Phishing (Suspicious) Phone Calls and Emails

Hackers and malicious individuals use phishing emails and even phone calls, which trick you into giving them your personal as well as login details for your banking and credit accounts.

Phishing emails are cleverly designed to look like the original emails, hence could easily trick you. Beware of emails and phone calls that ask you to provide your login details, personal information, or even click a link.

Air conditioner repair expert Karl Ammoun says “be sure to call the respective company if unsure of what to do. Calling the official number provided by the provider ensures you don’t fall into a scammer’s tricks. I’ve spoken to many clients, especially older ones, who have either been scammed or know someone who’s been scammed this way. It pays to be a little cautious.”

4. Use Strong and Unique Passwords

The average person has at least 5 passwords for various sites and accounts.

Many people, however, have a tendency of using the same password across accounts or even write them up in a sticky pad or book. This isn’t particularly smart as anyone could guess one password and try it across all your accounts.

Proper password management is the only way you can be sure all your accounts are safe and secure. For starters, make sure your passwords are at least 20 characters long and unique for each account. You could also use a password management program to help store your credentials and passwords automatically, notes Search It Local HR Manager Jacqueline Payne. She says “tools like LastPass are a lifesaver. Not just by keeping outside influences at bay, but by keeping all passwords hidden from staff, but still accessible, there is even less of a security risk. Password peace of mind is a real thing, and it’s worth having!”.

This way, you only need to remember one password. You can find both free and paid programs for this.

In addition to this, you should consider:

a. Updating your passwords regularly
b. Never share your passwords with anyone
c. Never mix passwords across websites

5. Don’t Click on Any Suspicious Links

Only click on links you are sure of, and especially those included in emails. You also shouldn’t download files and software from untrusted sources.

Visiting some of these sites grants them access to your computer, hence could install malware to your computer silently. Avoid downloading any attachments automatically onto your computer too.

6. Keep Sensitive Data Safe and Secured

Sensitive data should always be kept in a safe vault. ]

Here are a few tips how:

Don’t keep sensitive information/data on your laptop, workstation, or mobile phones. These include credit card information, SSN’s, health information, and student records.
Get rid of sensitive information from your computer once done with it.
Contact a specialist for help securing your data.

7. Use Mobile Devices Responsibly

Many of us rely on our mobile devices, especially phones, every day. This makes them a specific target for hackers. Keeping your mobile devices safe could however work. Some of the ways to keep your mobile devices safe are by:

Use a password or PIN on your device
Only download and install apps from trusted sources
Keep the operating system up to date
Never click on attachments or links from unsolicited texts and emails
Don’t store personal information on the device
Use data encryption tools for your device, e.g., Android Device Manager for Android and Apple’s Find my iPhone.

These tools come in handy, especially when you can’t find your device, as well as secure your data should it be stolen.

8. Install an Antivirus

Installing an antivirus program (from a trusted source) can help prevent/block malware and phishing emails from your device. Like the operating system, the antivirus program should be kept up-to-date to be effective.

There are plenty of both paid and free antivirus programs to use for your personal computer. Be sure to research more about the antivirus programs available before settling for one.

Take these 8 steps and you’ll be stopping anyone from targeting you.

Do you have any tips or tricks we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Are you in need of quick and reliable virus or malware removal? Chat to the experts from Benchmark IT Services to find out more!

DEBUNKING THE TOP SEVEN CYBERSECURITY MYTHS

In the realm of good business models cybersecurity is crucial, We’d be hard-pressed to find a company that doesn’t have any kind of cybersecurity strategy part of it’s infrastructure but did you know even well-intentioned cybersecurity initiatives can fall short? In reality, cyber-attacks are beginning to feel like a pandemic — it’s difficult to know the full extent of the problem before it affects us directly.

DEBUNKING MYTHS OF CYBERSECURITY

“We are too small to be attacked”

Every day, we hear about data breaches. The nebulous world of hackers’ compromise of millions of user data can cause big businesses to suffer penetration attacks. Small and medium-sized companies were the target of 43% of all cyberattacks in 2016, This growing trend that’s filled with malware and malicious attacks increases in both complexity and frequency. Don’t believe this line of thinking; we’re just as likely to be a victim as any big corporation.

“Passwords are good enough”

“Set it down and forget” lazy mentality is the downfall of any security policy. Cultivating this lethargic approach is the adoption of complex passwords and the belief that this is good enough. Malicious third-parties use a wide variety of bots and auto-attacks to speed up their operation and without two-factor authentication and a degree of encryption, one password is simply not enough in today’s dangerous cyber world.

“Antiviruses are powerful Enough”

Like the “set it and forget it” password philosophy, this applies similarly to the antivirus setup. It’s easy to think that the fancy apps that our company has spent too much money on will foil any and all attackers but once again, the myth is busted.Antiviruses are of foundational importance, but effective cyber defence demands a robust programme that involves safety, monitoring, and response preparedness, along with safety standards for consumer behaviour.

“Cybersecurity can be left to the IT guys”

Although IT handles much of the IT issues, this is not something that can collapse entirely in their lap. Cybersecurity preparation is something that can be compulsory, or at least heavily applied, during the on-boarding of employees. Cybersecurity preparation should be revised at least on an annual basis, and staff should be allowed to catch up on their skills.

“If we don’t store info, we don’t need cybersecurity”

Another of the more often seen cybersecurity misconceptions is that if our apps and hardware don’t hold info, we don’t need cyber protection. The fact is that some cybercriminals are not after data. Instead, some of them instal malware that can lock us out of our devices. The theory behind this is that we will not be able to re-access our computers until we pay the ransom of the hacker to do so.

“Threats are only external”

The competent defence needs just as much a close look at internal personnel and procedures as do the numerous threats by third parties. This is because whether from human negligence or malicious intent, cybersecurity threats are as likely to come from our own business as they are from beyond. Much is also at stake, given that workers are the road to the most confidential information.

“Cybersecurity is too expensive”

A solid human firewall is one of the most powerful defences against cybercrime and is completely free; aside from maybe spending time designing an IT security strategy and educating personnel as well as Investment in cybersecurity applications will go a long way, and in the case of a cyber threat, it may be our saving grace.

HOW TO PROTECT OUR DATA?

BITS (Benchmark IT Services) one of the best cybersecurity companies in Australia. They educate staff to detect possible cyber-attacks and safeguard their confidential data. As one of the leading cybersecurity companies in Australia, they’re following all the advanced measures to keep our data safe. Indeed, no defence solution is sophisticated enough to deter all sorts of attacks, but it can be reduced and alerted before anything goes wrong. Their accredited experts work with us to keep your data holdings safe and secure.

Cyber protection is more than just understanding. The best way to put an end to these cybersecurity misconceptions is by preparation and proper cyber-education. By learning how to solve the challenge, we will remain healthy in the digital realm by 2020 and beyond.

5 WAYS TO INTEGRATE CLOUD APPLICATIONS INTO YOUR BUSINESS

5 WAYS TO INTEGRATE CLOUD APPLICATIONS INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Cloud computing is a popular topic among business owners nowadays. Businesses have been increasingly adapting to this modern day trend. Over the last couple of years, a number of businesses have made various processes easier and more cost-effective because these three aspects, budgets, money, and time are highly valuable for business and market owners, and this is where cloud computing comes into play. Accessing data from anywhere and anytime is made easier with cloud computing. Many major businesses are devoting their budget to new and emerging technologies, of which cloud computing is a big part of. Many benefits to organizations can be made by the integration of cloud computing, this technology helps companies to achieve higher efficiency, making them more adaptable to the ever-changing market conditions.

TYPES OF CLOUD COMPUTING

Infrastructure as a service – when we choose this service, we get to access the virtual IT infrastructure allows to rent storage capacity, virtual machines, networking, and other modern day resources.
Platform as a service – Mainly used by development teams as it provides an environment for building web and mobile applications. With this service, programmers can test, develop and deploy software products, while the infrastructure management lies on the cloud provider’s shoulders.
Software as a service – Covers fully functional software solutions that are managed by a vendor and are available to users upon request through the world-wide web. CRMs, ERPs, customer support tools, etc are few popular products for business.

WAYS HOW INTEGRATING CLOUD APPLICATIONS CAN HELP OUR BUSINESS

A cloud service application is an organization that offers network services, infrastructure, or business applications out of its data centers that make up its cloud. Over the last ten years, the growth of CSPs has also driven some of the fastest growth in technology segments ranging from servers to switches and Business applications use a cloud service provider which comes in efficiency and economies of scale, which is a huge benefit.

Data Backup: The Cloud simplifies the process of data storing by allowing it to update as we work, in more simpler words, automatically. This amazing IT tool creates copies of the data off-site where it will be safe from any malfunction and threats.
Mobile Working: What is it? Mobile working allows small business owners to create fully functional mobile offices and it is one of the great benefits that technology provides us and what’s even better is that he cloud fits in perfectly with this because it helps us to access and sync our data from wherever we are, allowing us to be more flexible.
Information Sharing: The cloud makes sharing data effortlessly. Once we have data backed up, sharing files can be as easy as sending a link, eliminating the tiring process of emailing large files.
File Storage: Marketing activities like to use images, audio files, and videos to enhance their business. These files take up a significant part of our disk drive space which can be costly while the cloud on the other hand allows us to shift the storage of large files off of our local system, saving local storage for the files that we need to access every day.
Growth Planning: The cloud allows businesses to create a plan for growth that utilizes the benefits of the cloud without a significant up-front investment. We can start small and gradually increase the usage over time, paying only for the services and access that we need.

Only a few years ago, large amounts of data was stored in hard drives which were not reliable or secure as they could be accessed by anyone and it would be a real pain in the neck if important and special photos or video game data was lost but now the cloud computing services like google cloud, one drive and many more have replaced hard drive technology, which is safe and secured. There are many companies which provide Cloud computing service and they are very reliable. Benchmark IT services is a cloud solution provider in Australia which is very reliable. Compute power, database storage, content delivery and many other such functions are provided here which helps us to integrate a business. Even if it’s a cloud solution provider in Australia, its services are available worldwide.

What are The Advantages & Disadvantages of AWS Cloud Computing?

In the cloud computing world, AWS or Amazon Web Services has created a revolution. It is available for small to large scale businesses by offering them a complete cloud platform with virtually any workload. It was first introduced in 2003, but officially launched in 2006. With the use of AWS, organizations or individuals can build a sophisticated application, store database, deliver content, and various other functions. If you have a plan to get the license of AWS, understanding both ins and outs of cloud computing is essential.

Advantages-

Easy to Operate

AWS is a user-friendly cloud application. It is easy to operate by both existing and new applicants because of its interactive interface and the AWS Management Console or well-documented web services.

Unlimited Capacity Limits

Almost all organizations deal with a large variety of projects. Now, you can imagine what capacity they will need. AWS helps to meet their capacity at affordable prices.Its flexible services allow businesses to increase or decrease their storage limit as per their requirements. You pay for what you are using.

Speed and Agility

Previously, when we talked to an engineer about how long would it take to hire a server? The answer would be a week at least. With the launch of AWS, the service is provided within a few minutes. You can select your requirements and proceed without talking to anyone because it is flexible and easy. In order to save time, various types of tools on offer by AWS such as Elastic Load Balancing and AutoScaling. Moreover, Amazon Glaciers and AWS EBS provide enough storage.

Secure & Reliable

AWS offers end-to-end approach to secure the work environment. The security groups of AWS are associated with EC2 instances, offering security at the protocol and port access level. Your data is safe in the cloud.

Disadvantages-

Limitation with Amazon EC2
The default limits of AWS on resources are varied from region to region. These resources include volumes, images, and snapshots. However, users can request to exceed the limit.

Limitation in Security
There is some security limitation by AWS that cannot be changed-EC-2 classic- give maximum of 500 per instance and each Security group are allowed a maximum of 100 permissions.

Technical Support Charges
Do you know there are different charges for different AWS services? Charges are divided into three categories- developer, business, and enterprise.

Developer- $29 per month

Business- more than $100 or based on monthly usage

Enterprise- more than $15,000 or monthly usage

If you are looking for cheaper and the best AWS support, BITS, a leading cloud service provider in Australia, will help you. Consult us today.

Common G Suite Admin Login Issues & How to Fix Them

G Suite is a comprehensive suite of cloud computing, collaboration, and productivity tools developed by Google Cloud. The set of cloud tools allows businesses to store, transfer, and collaborate work effortlessly. The G Suite admin panel is the primary tool that manages your in-depth settings, preferences, and user information. In other words, it is a single place to manage all your G Suite services. Users may face some problems in G Suite Admin login. These problems can be fixed on your own after following a few steps. If you still face difficulty to login, contact your cloud service provider. (BITS is a leading cloud service provider in Australia offering flexible G Suite Business plans.)
Common Admin Login Issues & Their Solutions

admin.google.com is for G Suite accounts only. Regular Gmail accounts cannot be used to sign in to this.

If you face the error while trying to login to your G Suite Admin console, you may
be signing with a personal Gmail account (that ends with .gmail.com)
Solution-

Go to Google Admin Console for which copy the URL- https://admin.google.com
Press the tab Add Account
Now, sign in with your G Suite admin address and password (your G Suite or cloud identity.

2.You forget your Cloud Identity account password.

You as an administrator of an enterprise G Suite forget the password. In this situation, don’t panic because solutions are available to fix the issue.

Solution-

Reset your G Suite admin password on your own

Click on the URL of Google Admin console- https://admin.google.com
Provide your valid username and then press Next
Click Forgot Password and follow the wizard

If the admin panel is operated by two persons, with Super Admin Privileges, password is reset the G Suite admin password. Follow the steps of the link-https://support.google.com/a/answer/33319

3.The G Suite admin has left the job and no one has the access of the admin panel.

Solution-

1.The problem can fix if you contact your previous admin to ask the G Suite username and password.

2.If you cannot contact the person, all you need is to fill out the Google admin console login issues form (click the link-https://support.google.com/a/contact/recovery_form)
You can contact your G Suite service provider to fill the form on behalf of you and add some recovery options to your G Suite account.

How to Fix Liquid Damage of Your MacBook Pro or Air?

For any electronic machine, damage from water can lead to a big electronic fault often leading to motherboard issues. Mac products are not any exception here. A Macbook can be damaged by any amount of small water droplets spilled over it. When it happens, taking the right steps is essential to be able to reuse the MacBook, else, there is no other option than saying it good bye forever. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misleading information available online that claims to fix water

damage of your Macbook.

Fixing Your Macbook

If it is just a little water spilled on the keyboard, chances are that the keyboard is affected from it. Your Mac might be out of danger. The keyboard of the product has an air-tight mechanism to protect it from debris and water. You may require a keyboard replacement.

But the bad news happens when a lot of water spilled on the Macbook. At that time, the damage would spread to not only the keyboard but also the battery, circuit boards, and connectors.

What to Do Now?

The foremost step is don’t panic. If it is plugged to power, unplug it immediately.

After that, you will have to remove the battery and unplug any peripherals connected to the book like printer, mouse, and camera.

In the next step, shut down your system. At that time, there is no need to think of any unsaved work. You will have to forcefully shutdown your system. For which, you should hold down the power button for a few seconds.

After flip your system into a tent position, it will drain out the water to the keyboard. The practice will prevent water to reach to the delicate part of the system.

Leave your Macbook in this position for 48 hours. The practice would lessen the impact of water damage to your Mac.

The final step is to take your Macbook to your nearby center like Benchmark IT, a leading managed service provider in Australia for Mac repair.

The cost of damage is based on the degree of damage. At Benchmark IT, you will get support for Macbook, Macbook Pro, and Macbook.

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Top Common Issues Fixed by a Computer Repair Service Provider

Computer repair is a broad term that is all about identifying, troubleshooting, and resolving problems associated with faulty computers. The type of repairing service is offered by specialists who have got special computer training and work under a reputed computer repair service provider like Benchmark IT Services or BITS as it’s often called. MNCs and small IT companies are always in touch with a computer service provider to fix day-to-day computer-related issues. We have collected some common laptop/computer problems when Benchmark IT or any computer service provider can help you out.

System Upgrade

Sometimes, systems need upgrading because of many reasons. One of the most common reasons for upgrade is the OS upgrade such as Windows 10 home to Windows 10 Pro. Sometimes, systems need extra RAM that allows the system to open multiple applications at the same time. The response time of the system decreases.

Installation and Run Applications

A computer service provider can help you to install and run applications. Some applications are complex to install and run independently. They need guidance from experts. At that time, taking help from a computer repair service provider is beneficial.

Cleaning & Maintenance of the System

Like every object, your system too needs cleaning and maintenance from time to time. The maintenance service involves taking care of the computer’s physical components such as hard drive, keyboard, and internal CD or DVD drives. Cleaning of the system keeps the fan free from dust and defragment the hard drive.

Fixing Graphic Card Issues

A graphic card is a piece of computer hardware that produces images you see on your system. It is also known as GPU. If the GPU doesn’t work, users cannot operate their systems. In this condition, the computer repairing service is the only resort.

At Benchmark IT, a leading managed service provider in Melbourne, you will get all types of system repair and maintenance solutions. We are associated with leading IT companies in Australia. Our services are prompt and on time. We are mastered in dealing with the upgrade, fixing power supply, motherboard repair, fixing GPU, and several other Windows, Mac, and Linux systems related issues. BITS repairs & upgrades every kind of computer. We have repaired & upgraded more than 1000 computers & laptops so far and the list includes IBM, Lenovo, HP, Apple iMac, Macbook pro, Macbook Air, Toshiba, Dell, MS Surface Pro, MSI, Samsung, Acer etc.

How To Stay Safe Online: 8 Tips And Tricks

Is your private information protected?

We all use the internet everyday, but do you really know how well your personal information is secured?

Cyber security is key. From hackers to phishers, there are people trying to take your money, your data and your life!

Thankfully, with a little knowledge you can stay safe from these influences, and by taking the 8 following steps you’ll be able to sleep easy knowing your digital life is in safe hands.

1. Understand Hackers Can Target You

Hackers are always on the lookout for unsuspecting users. They are always hunting for personal and financial information.

Backing up your data is always a good idea, just in case

2. Always make sure that you have all the latest updates

Operating Systems and programs get regular updates to patch any vulnerabilities they might have, among other functions.

You should also do the same for other apps as well. This includes web browsers and plug-ins.

This will help ensure you don’t get any nasty malware or viruses.

3. Beware of Phishing (Suspicious) Phone Calls and Emails

Hackers and malicious individuals use phishing emails and even phone calls, which trick you into giving them your personal as well as login details for your banking and credit accounts.

4. Use Strong and Unique Passwords

The average person has at least 5 passwords for various sites and accounts.

Proper password management is the only way you can be sure all your accounts are safe and secure. For starters, make sure your passwords are at least 20 characters long and unique for each account. You could also use a password management program to help store your credentials and passwords automatically, notes Search It Local HR Manager Jacqueline Payne. She says “tools like LastPass or Google Chrome are lifesaver. Not just by keeping outside influences at bay, but by keeping all passwords hidden from staff, but still accessible, there is even less of a security risk. Password peace of mind is a real thing, and it’s worth having!”.

This way, you only need to remember one password. You can find both free and paid programs for this.

In addition to this, you should consider:

Updating your passwords regularly
Never share your passwords with anyone
Never mix passwords across websites

5. Don’t Click on Any Suspicious Links

Only click on links you are sure of, and especially those included in emails. You also shouldn’t download files and software from untrusted sources.

Visiting some of these sites grants them access to your computer, hence could install malware to your computer silently. Avoid downloading any attachments automatically onto your computer too.

6. Keep Sensitive Data Safe and Secured

Sensitive data should always be kept in a safe vault. ]

Here are a few tips how:

Don’t keep sensitive information/data on your laptop, workstation, or mobile phones. These include credit card information, SSN’s, health information, and student records.
Get rid of sensitive information from your computer once done with it.
Contact a specialist for help securing your data.

7. Use Mobile Devices Responsibly

Always keep your devices protected by using a password or a PIN
Download and install apps from trusted sources only
Keep the operating system to the most recent update
Never click on attachments or links from unsolicited texts and emails
Don’t store personal information on the device
Use data encryption tools for your device, e.g., Android Device Manager for Android and Apple’s Find my iPhone.

These tools come in handy, especially when you can’t find your device, as well as secure your data should it be stolen.

8. Install an Antivirus

There are plenty of both paid and free antivirus programs to use for your personal computer. Be sure to research more about the antivirus programs available before settling for one.

Take these 8 steps and you’ll be stopping anyone from targeting you.

Do you have any tips or tricks we missed? Let us know in the comments.

Are you in need of quick and reliable virus or malware removal? Chat to the experts from Benchmark IT Services to find out more!

Written by James Hunter

Top 5 Reasons You Should Backup Your Data

Data Backup & RecoveryWhat steps have you taken to protect your data?

In both personal and professional life, there are many different “backups” that can bail you out of trouble.

Some great examples are the spare tyre in your trunk or the spare batteries in the bottom draw. It’s crucial to ensure that your anchors have redundancies, if one part comes to nought the other parts will secure you.

So, how are you backing up your data?

With data, backup can guarantee the survival of your business. Now, let us list the top five reasons why businesses must have a suitable data backup solution in 2020.

#1 – Effortless Recovery

No one is perfect.

Some people will make mistakes occasionally, others quite often. Virus-infected emails are opened each day and crucial information is often deleted by mistake. These failings should not trouble you if you keep a backup of your system.

With backed up data, it is easy to restore the latest backup of your system before the virus infection occurred. Also, you can recover a document from a prior time to when it was deleted.

Remember, it is straightforward to guard against minor problems while still having the advantage of being ready for major issues.

But without backup, minor issues became major headaches.

#2 – Audits, Taxes, and Archives

A lot of organisations are required to maintain their organisational records for lengthy periods by various regulations or for tax reasons.

This makes it easy to go back a few years and refresh your memory if necessary, explains the tax experts at Robinson Accounting. They explain “it can be reckless to place all the faith in your computers and assume they are sufficient as they have kept data from the past few years. In many cases, maintaining one single copy of your information is playing with fire. The peace of mind of knowing you are tax compliant is truly priceless.”

Ensuring that you backup critical business information at an offsite location can save you a lot if something happens to the local data. Remember, regulatory and tax authorities will not listen to your claims of a data disaster. To them this is an excuse, they will deem you non-compliant and you may be forced to pay costly fines.

#3 – Competitive Edge

Backups can lead to businesses establishing an advantage over their competition.

In case an unforeseen disaster happens, the first business to restart its operations will attract the customers of those businesses that have not yet resumed operations. Failure to have a plan means that your business is doomed.

Proper planning guarantees that your business will continue running and be open to customers from firms that were closed by the data disaster.

#4 – Costly Downtime

A 2007 study by the University of Texas indicated that 43% of firms that experience a major data loss, cease operating.

A majority of these businesses end up shutting their operations completely within a two-year time frame from their data calamity. Moreover, major data loss situations aren’t always the cause of a disaster.

Human actions can wreck a business by overlooking important procedures or committing silly mistakes. Mother nature is not responsible for all data mishaps.

Ensuring that you frequently back up your data and implementing a robust backup and disaster recovery strategy can minimise the risk of these threats. Your business can be one of the few that emerges from a data disaster unscathed.

#5 – Doing Work Twice

‘Do it right the first time’ is the primary rule of work.

If you experience a minor data issue and you lack backups, you may get back certain information but you are not certain of the precise data you recover. In any case, you’ll be overwhelmed by the work that will have to be done to restore system settings, recreate documents and spreadsheets that have been worked on for months by employees or you.

Anxiety counsellor Glen Munt notes that this can have a flow on effect on mental health. He explains “doing the same work twice isn’t just a hit to your productivity, it can also generate feelings of anxiety and reduce confidence. This can create spirals where work continues to suffer, even after the work has been completed.”

To make matters worse, a large data loss can necessitate designing and creating all the business systems, documents and data from scratch which is an insurmountable challenge for many companies.

Are you looking to protect your data and safeguard your future? Contact the team at Benchmark IT Services for a FREE quote.
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Written by: James Hunter

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1. Understand Hackers Can Target You

2. Always make sure that you have all the latest updates

3. Beware of Phishing (Suspicious) Phone Calls and Emails

4. Use Strong and Unique Passwords

5. Don’t Click on Any Suspicious Links

6. Keep Sensitive Data Safe and Secured

7. Use Mobile Devices Responsibly

8. Install an Antivirus

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