Cybersecurity Tips: Best Practices for Online Security

Cybersecurity Tips #2: Enable Two-Step Authentication

An increasingly common and powerful cybersecurity tool is two-step authentication. It’s just like it sounds: a secure login method that requires users take at least two steps to verify their identity before they can access an account. 

Oftentimes those two steps can include entering a password followed by verification of a numeric code text to the mobile device linked to the account. Other examples of two-step authentication could be a password followed by identifying a series of objects like cars, trucks, buses, or planes. Even fingerprint authentication is commonly used to authenticate an individual's identity. 

Whichever method(s) you choose, make sure you enable two-step authentication to safely secure all your accounts.

Cybersecurity Tips #3: Be Mindful of Phishing

Phishing scams are becoming far more common online. This happens when someone disguises themselves as a trustworthy business or entity attempting to gather information from you or your employees – like your passwords, account information, usernames, or even credit card or bank account numbers. The most common phishing scams happen through emails and text, claiming to be a company asking you for personal information or wanting you to click on a certain link. 

Here are a few easy ways you and your employees can avoid phishing scams:

• Never click on suspicious links
• Don’t open emails from senders you don’t know or seem suspicious
• Keep an eye out for spelling and grammar mistakes on suspicious emails
• Inspect links from senders that you know as they could be hacked
• Never give unknown email addresses or companies your personal information
• Don’t click on pop-up ads
• Use a firewall or an antivirus program on your computer or laptop

Cybersecurity Tips #4: Carefully Curate Online Connections

By now, we’ve all had a few fake or spam followers on social media send suspicious messages asking for our personal information. Things like, “You’ve won a cash prize and first need you to mail us a check!” We’ve also all received a shady Direct Message from an Instagram user with a suspicious handle asking about a partnership opportunity. And while it all seems harmless, simply entertaining these accounts or messages opens you up to a potential hack. 

It’s so important to safely curate your online connections. Be sure to delete connections that seem fishy, have suspicious account names, post repetitive content, or constantly post negative or harmful material. Moreover, if an email or social media message seems odd, has errors in the title, or just gives you a bad feeling, steer clear of any interaction! Be sure your employees do the same when using company resources/equipment.

Cybersecurity Tips #5: Do Your Research Before You Download, Authorize, Or Follow

We can access a world of possibilities with the simple click of a button on our laptops and phones. It’s never been easier to download a new app, authorize software, or upload media. But all the same, it’s never been more important to do your research before you take any action online. 

Research apps before you download them. Read reviews on the app store, check third party trust sites, and look into their website to ensure everything looks legitimate. Make sure you understand what you’re authorizing on your devices, and don’t download media (music, movies, ebooks) from unreliable sources. Also, when at all possible, avoid using public Wi-Fi.

How to Safely Engage with PLANOLY Online

Along with preventative cybersecurity measures for your personal accounts and devices, we want you to be able to enjoy PLANOLY online without any security concerns. Here’s how we recommend you safely use our products and services online:

• Only ever download the PLANOLY app from the Apple Store and Google Play Store, or access our app from our web application on planoly.com
• All PLANOLY products, plans and add-ons are outlined on our Pricing Page only. Do not trust any product that is not offered on that page.
• PLANOLY will only email you from our domain planoly.com, so you should only respond to emails that come from our domain and subdomains (example: team@planoly.com or info@news.planoly.com)
• PLANOLY will only ever take billing or personal information from our planoly.com desktop portal or from the app itself

As we continue to live more of our lives online, the importance of cybersecurity can’t be overstated. Make sure you take the proper precautions to secure your business resources and personal data!