Cyber Crime Prevention: 9 Effective Ways to Stop It

Business leaders today are being urged to build better human firewalls as cyber crime incidents continue to rise. Security experts identify people as the biggest targets (and weakest link) in the corporate cyber security chain.  

According to market intelligence company Cybersecurity Ventures, global cyber crime damages continue to rise year on year, highlighting the growing financial and reputational risks businesses face if effective cyber crime prevention measures are not in place.

In the workplace, a culture of security helps prevent cyber crime. There should be someone in charge of security, comprehensive data security policies and procedures, and ongoing employee education.

The good news is that when cyber crime prevention becomes a habit at work, it is often practiced outside the workplace too, supporting wider internet crime prevention for employees and their families.

9 Cyber Crime Prevention Tips

1. Protect computer systems. Security software essentials include firewall and antivirus programs. Keep all programs updated and patched. A Get Safe Online survey showed that consumers only update their security software every 8.5 months.

2. Use strong passwords. Strong passwords have eight characters or more and a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Keep passwords in a safe place, and don’t use the same one for every service and account. Change passwords every 90 days.   

3. Avoid public Wi-Fi. Never make online payments, send confidential information, or introduce important account passwords when using public Wi-Fi. Cyber criminals create networks that look like free internet but allow the criminals access to your data.

4. Don’t trust unsolicited emails and text messages.  Never click on a link, image or video that has been received from an unknown sender. Check that emails are legitimate – red flags include spelling mistakes, poor grammar, odd phrasing, and urgent requests for money or action. Verify correspondence by contacting the sender directly. Check that websites are legitimate too (malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL often has a variation in spelling or a different domain). Industry reports consistently show that phishing and social engineering remain major causes of data breaches.

5. Protect personal information on social media. Information thieves use social media to collect personal details that they can then use in phishing scams. Think twice before sharing personal information such as your name, home address, phone number, and email address.

6. Restrict physical access to sensitive information. At home, shut down your computer when you aren’t there. Lock mobile devices, and encrypt confidential data to keep it secure.

7. Be careful with all devices. Phones and other mobile devices are big targets. Always be aware of where mobile devices are; never leave them unattended, and enable security features such as remote wipe and device locking—key ways of preventing cyber crime in everyday scenarios.

8. Regularly review bank and credit card statements. Research has shown you can reduce the impact of identity theft and online crimes by spotting suspicious activity early.

9. Do not stockpile computers or hoard digital data. Keep digital data filed and current – purge files regularly. Have old or unused computer hard drives securely destroyed in your workplace to support long-term cyber crime prevention.

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