Growth & Jobs | Convenience vs security – what’s more important?

HAVE YOU ever saved your login information to a website so that you don’t have to put it in each time you visit? How about staying logged in to those websites, such as Netflix?

If yes, then you have tapped into the convenience of technology. With the evolution of applications, it’s now even faster and more convenient to get things done on the Web, but this level of convenience may be exposing users to cybercriminals lurking in cyberspace.

As more people get comfortable navigating technology and browsing online in the digital age, Dwayne Brown, cybersecurity executive at the JN Group, is reminding individuals during October, recognised as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, not to get complacent and trade off security for convenience, but to instead balance the two.

He said there are several things people should remember to practise, whether at home, at work or outdoors, to protect themselves and their businesses while they surf online. This includes disabling the autofill feature which saves login credentials. He said, while this does make life easier by populating common fields, it creates serious privacy risks.

“Disabling autofill will prevent others from getting access to your credentials and your browsing data. There can be vulnerabilities with autofill that can expose your stored data to phishing attacks” he explained.

He said people should also sign out of sites, once they are through, pointing out that while it is more convenient not having to log in each time, someone’s account left opened could be hijacked by another person.

ANTIMALWARE SOLUTION

Additionally, Brown cautions that private browsing isn’t all that safe as well. He explained that while incognito mode is a useful way to protect web activity, it does not prevent a user from being tracked online.

“We tend to use incognito mode because it doesn’t save cookies or browsing history, but it doesn’t hide your location or activity from the websites you visit. That’s because personal information like your device’s IP address is still visible,” Brown explained.

He said it is also wise for people to choose strong passwords that can’t be easily cracked and enable two-factor authentication, also known as 2FA or two-factor verification, where the option is available.

He said one should keep personal information professional and limited on the web, “No-one online needs to know your relationship status, home address, medical data, or any of that sort of information.”

Brown also advises that people should avoid questionable websites and only download software from trusted sites. He said that, in cyberspace, hackers will inject a malicious code into software and offer this on trusted spaces for free.

“Most times, ‘free’ actually comes with some risks,” he said, adding that a good antimalware solution coupled with good cyberpractices will reduce those risks.

“Learning how to identify and spot suspicious websites will protect you from becoming a victim of a cybercrime. Don’t browse torrent sites or any other sites that are potentially risky and/or contain pop-ups,” he shared.

UPDATE BROWSERS

The cybersecurity executive said browsers and any plug-ins should be kept updated, noting that this helps to prevent security breaches and ensures that all features of a website are safe and secure for use. He said while some browsers will do this automatically, it may sometimes be up to individuals to check to ensure that everything is up to date.

“Many browser updates will be issued to combat threats that you can run into when you’re browsing the Web, including viruses and malware,” said Brown.

With the Internet not having a ‘delete key’, he urges persons to be careful of the comments or posts they make online.

“Once we put things out there, it stays. You may delete a photo or comment and think it’s gone, but someone could have captured it and shared it elsewhere. So don’t post photos of your workspace, for example, where there may be company or customer data, because, by the time you realise what you may have shown the world, someone could be using that to cause harm,” he said.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is celebrated internationally in October every year, to emphasise the importance of cybersafety.