By Michelle Padilla, COO and CFO, Telcion Communications Group
LinkedIn: Michelle Padilla, MSML
LinkedIn:Â Telcion Communications Group
Humans are often the weakest point of any cybersecurity system, but fortunately there are some easy practices you can personally put into place to make the online posture of both you and your healthcare organization more secure. Implementing a few simple strategies into your routine can help prevent a stray click or a dubious Wi-Fi connection from becoming an incident with.
Here are five digital hygiene habits that your organization can implement, not just during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but all year long, to support and improve your cybersecurity posture.
1. Protect Your Passwords
Use long, random, unique passwords to help secure your work accounts. Keep them safe in a secure password saver recommended by your IT department. Many applications can also be enabled for MFA, which you should turn on if available. This adds a layer of protection beyond the password, making it much harder for your account to get hacked. If you’re a member of a healthcare IT department, educate your organization’s employees about the importance of password protection as part of any ongoing cybersecurity training.
2. Think Before You Click
Phishing is becoming increasingly sophisticated as hackers learn new ways to socially engineer people. Be wary of unknown senders and verify important information like the domain address before clicking links or downloading attachments.
Hackers will use urgency to try to spur action, so take a moment to think before reacting emotionally. Look for signs of phishing, such as poor grammar, suspicious links, and unexpected or strange attachments. Consider implementing regular phishing simulations to educate employees on recognizing phishing attempts.
3. Be Careful with AI
Generative AI tools can be super helpful with brainstorming ideas, making outlines, and synthesizing information. However, as an emerging technology, there are things about generative AI that are either unknown or unfamiliar, so it’s important to use a healthy degree of caution.
Be careful with the content you share with generative AI tools. Avoid sharing sensitive or proprietary company or patient information with AI tools, as they may use that information to respond to others. Try to be familiar with the privacy policies and data handling practices of the AI tools you use and stay up to date with your organization’s policies on AI as they develop over time. Providing AI guidelines for your organization can be a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to AI policies and procedures.
4. Don’t Leave Your Devices Unattended
Remote and hybrid work gives the digital workforce more flexibility than ever before, but they also introduce a different type of risk. When working in public places like coffee shops or public workspaces, always close and lock your laptop or other company devices if you step away, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes. Privacy screen protectors can help prevent others from looking over your shoulder at information on your screen. From an organizational approach, make sure that remote/hybrid work guidelines include policies for protecting physical devices.
5. Use Caution with Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi is everywhere and really convenient when you need it, but it isn’t always secure. Verify that the network you’re connecting to is legitimate and use a VPN to encrypt your internet traffic. Generally, if you’re accessing sensitive information or conducting financial transactions, it’s better to save those tasks until you’re on a safer network.
It’s a good idea to have company policies that give guidelines for a secure remote working experience so that employees know what is expected of them and how to keep themselves and the company safe from online threats.
Conclusion
By adopting these five digital hygiene habits, you can play an important role in enhancing cybersecurity for yourself and your healthcare organization. Remember, cybersecurity is a collective effort, and every individual’s commitment to these practices contributes to a safer and more resilient digital community.