Don’t fall victim to a cyber attack

“I’ve had people say, ‘oh we need you to do our tax return, here’s our information’ and I say, I don’t open links, you need to call me if you want anything done and I would set up a client portal, but then they disappear,” said co-owner of Behling Jones Accounting, Holly Behling.

Holly Behling is one of many business owners who are constantly fighting cyber attacks.

Cyber security issues are becoming a day to day struggle, not only for businesses but individuals as well.

“Cyber attacks are actually pretty big across the board, whether it’s a small town or big town if they can get your data, then that’s where the money’s at and that’s what they’re after,” said owner of Computech, Gary Watson.

A 2018 study done by Juniper Research shows that cybercriminals will steal an estimated 33 billion records in 2023.

The biggest mistake that people make before they’re attacked is clicking on links in emails or websites without knowing what they’re actually clicking on.

“Most people are unaware the attack is actually happening, so they have no idea what’s going on in the back end, they’re just using their computer like normal and then all of a sudden they see somethings not right and the attacks already been happening for a while, and then they notice it and then sometimes it’s too late.”

To prevent the attacks in the first place, there are some simple steps you can take.

“Implement complex passwords and if you can enable two-factor authentication, to increase your security and watch what you’re clicking on.”

Watson also recommends you keep your devices up to date, and in the unfortunate event that you are a victim of a cyber attack, the first thing you should do is…

“Shut down the computer as quickly as you can, close the lid unplug power just turn it off. Then take it somewhere where someone can stop the attack or at least get your data recovered before the data is either encrypted or un-retrievable.”