On the first day of Christmas,

My laptop gave to me,

A virus in an email…..

December is the busiest month of the year for online transactions, so in an attempt to keep you as safe as possible, we present you with the 12 Days Of Online Safety.

1. A Virus In An Email: Clicking links in emails is the most common way viruses are allowed into your computer. If in doubt, do not click.
2. 2 FA: Use Two Factor Authentication wherever you can to login into websites.
3. A VPN: Use a VPN when you are out and about, especially if you are accessing financial or work-related data.
4. Clear Your Cache: Get into the habit of deleting the browser cookies that you are collecting on your devices when you click “accept”.
5. Facebook Scams: There has been a huge increase in scammers using social media. Be sceptical when you see updates or receive messages on any social network.
6. Change All Your Passwords: Make those passwords virtually impossible to guess and have different ones for different logins.
7. HTTPS: Ensure the website address has a ‘https’ and padlock icon, as the ‘s’ in the address stands for secure.
8. Mix Up Those Emails: Use different email addresses for different accounts, and, as above, with different passwords.
9. Good AntiVirus: Not all anti-viruses are the same – paying for a good anti-virus will keep you more secure.
10. Read Those T & Cs: Understand and know what the sites that you log into are using your information for.
11. Ensure You Have A Backup: Even large companies with huge IT budgets get hacked – having a backup system means you should still be able to retrieve your data if you are hacked.
12. Send Us An Email: If you have any worries about online safety or computer security, get in touch with us and we’ll do our best to help you out.

And finally, we hope that you all stay safe and have a wonderful festive break.