As October wraps up, so does Cyber Security Awareness Month. But your attention to being vigilant online to protect your data and the bank’s is pertinent year-round. 

“In today’s world, you can’t go a day without hearing about a company or government involved in a data or system breach,” says Dana Scherff, North Shore Bank’s Information Systems vice president. “Being a bank, it is very important that our staff understands their role in protecting the bank’s systems and data.” 

We encourage everyone to continue to be incredibly diligent when reviewing emails and take necessary precautions to keep your work stations secure. All employees should keep up with our cyber security education solution, KnowBe4. 

In addition to KnowBe4, check out the helpful tips below for ways to stay vigilant to cyber security threats at work and on your personal time.

Cyber Security Awareness Month Helpful Tips 

• Create a long password
  • A minimum of 14 characters with a mix of upper and lower case letters, a number, and a special character are encouraged. Do not use common phrases, but instead consider using a line from a favorite poem, a set of lyrics, or a short sentence that only makes sense to you. 
• Use a different password for every site or program
  • Using the same password for websites or programs that you use regularly can be detrimental if your profile appears in a data breach. Your password could be used to access other sites or programs that were not included in the data leak.
• Review URLs before clicking on them
  • When URLs are shared via email and on websites, do not click on the link without checking out exactly where it will take you. Ensure that the link description makes sense. Most safe links will end in a “.com” or a “.org” but not not even all links ending with those domains will be safe. If you are unsure, Google the link or search for the information via google, rather than clicking on the suggested link.
• Be skeptical when reviewing emails
  • When you receive an email, look at all elements of it – from the email address of the sender, to the spelling of the content, and even the content itself. Does everything make sense? Were you expecting the email? Do you know the sender? If not, delete it. Or, we recommend going to the website of the sender’s company and utilize their “Contact Us’ page. Call them to ask if the person sending the email works there. They will often be grateful that you reached out!
• Slow down!
  • This is the most important thing you can do to increase your safety online. Most of us move too quickly when working on computers, and often, we are multitasking. This is when mistakes are often made. 

Dana encourages us to stay safe online and practice diligence when reacting to emails. As AI continues to learn, it will make it easier for bad actors to create stronger, more realistic connections or familiarities with email recipients. As such, we all take our safety online incredibly seriously. 

As a bank, we handle sensitive information daily, both our own, and our clients. We rely on each other to do our part to protect this information and keep all at North Shore Bank safe. Please continue to take precautions online to improve your cyber security practices!