Over the years we have offered several recommendations to increase your protection against attacks and intrusions and harden your cybersecurity. In this final tip for 2022, we mention a novel, though somewhat radical, suggestion.
Kevin Mitnick spent five years in federal prison following his conviction on wire fraud and other crimes. Mitnick now runs his own cybersecurity consulting business. In a recent CNBC article, Mitnick reiterated two of the most common, yet still effective, steps one can take to secure their information – good password management, and use of multi-factor authentication. These two steps alone can increase your security profile substantially.
Mitnick, however, proposes an additional extreme measure he says raises the security bar “like 98%” – purchasing a separate laptop or tablet dedicated solely to sensitive transactions, such as financial transfers. Though this option seems drastic, it makes a lot of sense. Limiting important personal transactions to a dedicated device, and using only that device for such transactions, can significantly reduce the risk of a compromise provided the device is password protected, contains virus protection, its security patches are kept updated, and your home Wi-Fi password is complex and secure. Isolating the device from the evils of email and social media alone is a major security step forward. For good measure, disconnect your secure device from the internet except when you are using it.
If you think this option is way over the top, ask yourself whether it is worth ~ $200 to increase the security of your financial accounts or medical information “98%.”
Check out our series, Privacy Perils, to learn what steps you can take to guard your personal and company data. For more information about this topic and other cyber security concerns, please contact a member of our Privacy & Data Security team.