As a contractor you’re likely to have an active online presence. This is great for attracting new business and maintaining relationships with colleagues and clients, but it can make you more of a target for scammers, who are even more active during the festive period. With that in mind, this article looks at best practice for umbrella employees to safeguard their cyber-security.
Look out for unexpected texts and emails
In the run-up to the festive period many of us become more vulnerable to email and text phishing scams. The story about an undelivered package that would not have convinced us in June becomes much more plausible in December. We’re also busier and more stressed, often racing to tie off work commitments before the holidays, in between battling an ever-growing personal to-do list.
Whenever you receive a text or email, particularly if it’s asking you to take urgent action, take a few moments to stop and think before acting. Check the details for inconsistencies and don’t click on anything until you’re sure it’s safe to do so. If unsure, contact the apparent sender via another route to confirm the message is genuine.
Control your social media presence
The search for new work is an unavoidable part of life as a contractor, and potential clients are very likely to look you up on social media. It’s important to be visible, active and helpful so you make the best possible impression.
However, it’s also important to control the information you’re sending out. Be careful about telling the internet that you’re away from home, and about sharing personal details that could be used by criminals.
Remember that everything you post, even if it’s meant for your friends and family, can be seen by thousands of strangers. Some of them will use what they find to help them decide whether to offer you a contract, and some will be looking for a way to steal from you or your clients.
Use strong passwords, and don’t re-use them
Many hackers will sell the data they hack. This can include information on thousands, if not millions, of people and their passwords. If you are using the same password for every account then it won’t be difficult for a hacker to gain access to all your systems.
Otherwise, a hacker may use ‘brute force’ to find your password. This is much harder if password is longer and contains more variety and does not spell out any words. Use a password manager of some kind to ensure you don’t keep forgetting your passwords.
Use two factor authentication
These days you can use online apps to do any number of things, from creating content and tracking your diary, to creating invoices, taking payments and managing your passwords and a single data-breach could cause you serious problems. Using two-factor authentication can be inconvenient at times, but it is an effective way to keep control of your online accounts if your password falls into the wrong hands.
We recommend enabling two-factor authentication wherever it’s available, even though it can mean a few extra clicks to log into your apps.
Install software updates right away
Device and software manufacturers are engaged in an ongoing arms-race with hackers, and as new vulnerabilities are discovered they will be corrected using software updates. It’s therefore important to keep the software on your mobile and desktop devices up to date, and install any updates as soon as possible.
If you have questions of if we can help in any way, please call our expert team on 01296 468483 or email info@orangegenie.com.