During the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in working remotely, there has also been an increase in cyber attacks. It is, therefore, critical to ensure you protect your data by adhering to the following guidelines.
- If you are a remote worker: change and strengthen your home Wi-Fi credentials immediately.
- Video Conferencing: If meetings are password protected, the meeting organizer should only share that password with participants. For example, they could send an email containing the password directly to participants only, rather than including it within a calendar appointment.
- Ensure your passwords on your electronic devices (i.e. mobile phone and laptop) are sufficiently strong and not duplicated (8-12 characters, numbers, letters, capitals and lower case plus special characters).
- Turn on Google’s two factor authentication - this will provide an extra layer of protection online and it stops cyber criminals from getting into your accounts, even if they have your password.
- Ensure your personal device’s software is updated. This could include: updating software, deleting old apps, tightening privacy access on the apps you keep, using the automatic screen lock and disabling public Wi-Fi access.
- Only download software from trusted sources.
- Only download apps and software from official app stores like Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
- Seek guidance from our ISG technology department if you are unsure (email: helpdesk@isg.edu.sa).
- Report suspicious activity to our ISG technology department (email: helpdesk@isg.edu.sa). For example email scams have recently included coronavirus exploitation through fake offers of testing kits and face masks.
Be Aware of:
- Phishing – in particular watch for mail from fake medical/ health organizations or banks. Also be aware of fake text messages from organizations.
- Identity theft – your passwords may be at risk so change them and make them more secure.
- E-crime epidemics – malware is on the increase, so be highly suspicious of unsolicited emails with any form of link or attachment. If in doubt, delete.
- Alert your families to increased low-level online fraud, especially elderly parents who come from a more trusting generation. Scams are ever more clever and more convincing and the isolated elderly in particular are at high risk.
