5 Cybersecurity Myths Busted
Podcast Transcription
Money Talk is a podcast brought to you by PFCU, where we will share tips and tricks and talk to the experts on all things finance related. Join us as we cover everything from credit and loans to cybersecurity and careers. No matter where you are in life, PFCU is here for you.
Hi everyone, welcome to PFCU's Money Talk podcast. I'm your host Maddy. In the last episode, I talked about credit myths. And this week I came across an article from the Know Be4 Security team about cybersecurity myths. Cybersecurity is a huge piece of not only your finances, but pretty much every other aspect of our lives. We want to keep our information safe and stop criminals from getting what does not belong to them. These common misconceptions might keep you from staying as safe as possible. So, let's talk about these five cybersecurity myths.
Number one is that only people in high power positions are targets of cybersecurity attacks. It seems we're often warned of emails or texts that look like they come from an executive. And yes, executives and administrators are prime targets for cyber criminals because scammers know that they hold more power. However, that doesn't mean they're the only targets. Scammers attack every level of an organization. They're just looking for gaps in security. After all, it only takes one hacked machine to access your entire network.
Myth number two, high tech hackers pose the highest threat to your organization. You might imagine a cyber-attack as the use of highly sophisticated technology to break down firewalls and decode user passwords. Especially when movies and TV shows put these images in our heads of these sophisticated hackers using the best and latest technology. But in truth, it is much more likely that someone wrote their password on a sticky note, and it fell into the wrong hands. Or someone created a password that was their dog's name combined with their birthday. Or someone clicked on a link from a scammer. Human error is an easy target for cyber criminals, so make sure you stay alert.
Myth number three. Cyber security is a highly technical process that only your IT department can handle. As an employee of an organization, the security tools that your IT department manages are very important. But these security measures can't stop an employee from sending sensitive information within an email or clicking on a link they shouldn't have. And the same goes from a personal perspective, not just at work. Keeping your phone up to date and using antivirus software can certainly help in keeping your information safe. But so does taking the extra step of creating strong passwords and double checking that a text is legitimate before sending any information.
Myth number four, security awareness only really matters when you're at work. Your organization's at-work policies and compliance regulations may not be necessary in your home life, but security awareness absolutely still matters. Scammers could fish your personal email for bank accounts, login credentials, or even personally identifiable information like your social security number, which can be used to perform identity theft.
Myth number five, smart devices are rarely targeted by cyber criminals. We know that nearly everyone has a smartphone and many people use smart devices throughout their homes and their entire lives, right? I mean, think about all the things you use your phone for: banking, entertainment, social media, shopping, and even connecting to your security cameras at home or any smart gadgets you may have in your home. This is becoming the norm and cyber criminals definitely take advantage of that. Treat smart devices the same way you would treat any other computer. Always use strong passwords, install antivirus and anti-malware software, and keep these devices up to date with the latest security patches.
I think the moral of the story is that technology and IT departments and software created to help keep our information safe can only go so far. We are all at risk and we're all responsible for keeping our information safe, whether that's in our personal lives or at work. Thanks for listening, everyone. See you next time.
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