It was discovered last week (May 2016) that a Russian hacker has stolen a database of login credentials for users of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft.

More than 270 million email accounts have recently been compromised after passwords for email accounts we stolen by a group of Russian criminals.

As a result, millions of personal and private information is now in the hands of criminals. Although this is an unprecedented event considering the amount of data that has been stolen, it is essential we all play our part in deterring hackers away from accessing our own personal/work data.

Treat it as you would with any other crime…

• Would you leave the house with your big front window open?
• Would you leave your car keys on show by the window?
• Would you store your house keys near a letter box?

The answer to these questions are probably no, well the same goes for your internet security.

• Make sure you change your passwords on a regular basis. We understand that this can be frustrating, especially considering the complicated nature of creating new passwords. However, we suggest using a password generator if you are struggling to create one yourself.
• This brings us on to our second tip. When you do create a password, make sure it is strong and includes letters, numbers and symbols.
• Always have virus protection installed on your desktop, laptop or mobile device. This just creates another barrier of protection and makes it harder for outside hackers to steal your data.
• Finally, we suggest that you should always turn off your computer as regularly as possible. This allows time for your device to install important security updates.

Although this recent attack was on a much larger scale, it is important to have these deterrents so your data is less tempting to steal.

If you would like more information regarding security for your business, call us today on 02476 867400 for some advice.