Making Your Personal Workstations Secure

Messy workstation

We’ve written in the past about the precautions and procedures that Cumberland Title uses to keep your information safe while it’s in our hands. But there are also some pretty simple but important steps that everyone can take to keep their personal workstations safe and secure from fraud.

These days, simply locking your office door isn’t enough to stay safe in today’s fast-paced business world. It’s important to remember that cyber thieves aren’t the only threats lurking, and that keeping our workstations themselves from falling prey to threats and risks is also important.

Here are a few steps you can take to keep your workspace protected:

  • Don’t leave your office without first clearing off your desk.  It’s important to make sure that confidential data is locked away and not left out in the open. Locking the door to the office is also highly recommended
  • Recycle bin vs. Shred bin.  I’m all for recycling, but make sure that the things that are going in the blue bin do not have sensitive information on them. If so, they go in the shred bin (which should also remain locked)
  • Passwords:  Yes, it can be a real pain to have and have to remember multiple passwords for different systems, and it may seem convenient to use the same one for all systems, or choose one that’s simple to remember—or even share it with co-workers. Lest we learn nothing from the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Report which confirmed that 63% of confirmed data breaches were a result of weak, default, or stolen passwords.
  • Mobile devices.  Where to begin with this one… Imagine losing your work issued cell phone, or having it stolen. Treat this device like you should your work computer, and lock it up! That’s right, password protect that sucker, too. And remember to back up that data in the event it is lost or stolen. A leading study showed that in the event of thefts involving mobile devices, 25% occur in cars and transportation, 23% in the office, and 15% in airports and hotels.
  • Working in public on a laptop.  Thieves are opportunists who will seize any opportunity, especially when you make it so tempting and easy for them. They are not above looking over your shoulder at your screen or stealing hardcopy papers you may have lying next to you, should you step away for only a second to grab an extra sugar for your coffee. Don’t make it any easier for them.