Securing your IT systems before the long holiday

The extended Idul Fitri holiday is coming. We’re sure that you have been eagerly awaiting the long holiday, as it will finally give you rest and relaxation you have badly longed for.

Before you start taking your holiday, however, you need to be aware that a lot of hackers are happily awaiting for the long holiday as well. Not necessarily because they want to enjoy some leisure time, but primarily because the holidays are always the best times to attack an IT system, as during holidays, employees typically do not check their work emails for notifications of suspicious activities.

Although small merchants are particularly more vulnerable to these attacks, large and small businesses alike need to be extra cautious about them. In order not to return to work flabbergasted upon discovering your system breached by some hackers, change your password now. Also, update your software. Review who has remote access to your central server and whether they are trustworthy people. 

We will go through the to-do-list in more depth below.

Change your password

If you don’t regularly change your system’s password, especially when they are weak (easily guess-able), you are basically setting yourself up for security breaches. The coming of a long holiday season is a great momentum for you to change your password. Also, make sure that your password is complex enough, comprising a long string of words, numbers and symbols to make it difficult for hackers to break into your system.

Update your software

Instead of postponing it until it’s time for you to get back to work, better do it before you embark on your long holiday. The hackers might take advantage of your exhaustion, knowing that you will put off doing this until it’s time to go back to work. So, in order to outsmart them, stay abreast with the latest software versions available on the market which can safeguard you against the well-known vulnerabilities. Better do it now than waiting for the holidays to end, because by that time, it’ll be too late for you.

Pay attention to who has remote access

Now it’s time to sort out the third parties which can access your system remotely. Perhaps they are expert consultants or part-time workers. You have to always keep an eye on their activities and come up with mechanisms to keep their privileges in check, especially during the holidays. Also, do not forget to block the access of third-party consultants/part-timers whose terms have ended. Oftentimes, security breaches happen because of minor negligences, such as not sorting out people who have already left the company from the system.

Be sure you have checked all the IT protection “boxes” before you embark on your long-awaited holiday. Happy holiday, by the way! Stay safe and stay healthy!