Helping you to understand online security and reduce your chances of being targeted.

Cyber security is the means by which businesses can reduce the risk of becoming victims of cyber attack.

Cyber security's core function is to protect the devices we all use (smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers), and the services we access - both online and at work - from theft or damage. It's also about preventing unauthorised access to the vast amounts of personal information we store on these devices, and online.

Cyber security is important because smartphones, computers and the internet are now such a fundamental part of modern life, that it's difficult to imagine how we'd function without them. From online banking and shopping, to email and social media, it's more important than ever to stake steps that can prevent cyber criminals getting hold of our accounts, data, and devices. 

Top Tips

Protect your email by using a strong and separate password

Cyber criminals can use your email to access many of your personal accounts, leaving you vulnerable to identity theft. 

Always use a strong and separate password for your email; that is, a password that you don’t use for any of your other accounts. This protects you and others. One way to do this is to use a password manager - see more below. 

Install the latest software and app updates

Software and app updates contain vital security updates to help protect your devices from cyber criminals.

Turn on 2-step verification (2SV)

2-step verification is recommended to help protect your online accounts. 2-step verification (2SV), which is also known as two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), helps to keep cyber criminals out of your accounts, even if they know your passwords. The NCSC recommend you take time to set up 2-step verification on all your important accounts, even for ones that you've protected with strong passwords. When you set up 2-step verification, you’ll be sent a PIN or code, often by SMS or email. You then need to enter this PIN to prove that it's really you (since it’s presumed only you - and not the cyber criminal) can access your phone or email.

Password managers: how they help you secure passwords

Using a password manager can help you create and remember passwords.  A password manager (or a web browser) can store all your passwords securely, so you don’t have to worry about remembering them. This allows you to use unique, strong passwords for all your important accounts (rather than using the same password for all of them, which you should never do). There are lots of different password managers, many of which you can use for free if you accept certain limitations. So it's worth searching for online reviews, and finding one that meets your requirements. 

Backing up your data

Safeguard your most important data, such as your photos and key documents, by backing them up to an external hard drive or a cloud-based storage system. 

Backing up using cloud storage

If you use cloud storage, a backup of your data is stored on the internet. If you use products from Apple, Google or Microsoft (such as Windows computers, Apple and Android phones and tablets), you'll probably have an amount of cloud storage space for free. This might be sufficient to save all your important files.

At the time of writing:

Apple iCloud provides 5GB of free space

Google Drive provides 15GB of free space

Microsoft OneDrive provides 5GB free space

Protecting your backups

Anyone who is able to access your cloud account will also have access to your backups. Make sure you protect your account by using strong passwords to control access to your account, and by turning on 2-Step Verification (2SV), which is also known as two-factor authentication.

Three random words

Use three random words to create a single password that's difficult to crack. By using a password that’s made up of three random words, you’re creating a password that will be ‘strong enough’ to keep the criminals out, but easy enough for you to remember.

Avoid the most common passwords that criminals can easily guess (like ‘password’). You should also avoid creating passwords from significant dates (like your birthday, or a loved one’s), or from your favourite sports team, or by using family and pet names. Most of these details can be found within your social media profile.

If you’re thinking of changing certain characters in your password (so swapping the letter ‘o' with a zero, for example), you should know that cyber criminals know these tricks as well. So your password won’t be significantly stronger, but it will be harder for you to remember.