COVID-19 Pandemic: IT Security Tips

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I was taught the craft of accounting by my father, back in the early ‘90s, using a mechanical pencil and 13 column paper. No, we didn't have an eye shade or arm garter.

We probably should have.

In those days, words like password locker, zoom bomb, phishing attack, malware, ransomware, and patch updates were simply not in our lexicon.

We no longer have the luxury of naivete.

I'll keep this post brief.

1. If you're using the same password for all your logins, stop doing that now.

2. If your passwords are easy to guess, make them more complicated. Yes - we know this is inconvenient, and annoying, but orders of magnitude less inconvenient and less annoying than cleaning up after a hacking.

3. If you're still emailing sensitive documents instead of using our firm's secure portal, start using our firm's secure portal. (If you're reading this as a non-client, thank you for stopping by, and if your current accountant isn't using a secure portal, consider getting a new accountant.)

4. If you've put off your technological responsibilities to others, now is the time to take that responsibility back to yourself.

5. If you're still using IE as your browser, stop. Get a new browser such as Chrome or Firefox or Safari.

6. Get a password locker. Make your passwords difficult (most password lockers come with a password generator.)

This pandemic is changing our society in ways that will take years to fully understand. Those that survive it will do so because (aside from the fact that they would have washed their hands and adhered to social distancing orders), they would have been flexible and adaptable.

The old ways of working won't hold up in a society that works remotely. Video conferences, portals, web based applications will be required. Now is the time to get up to speed.

And also, with so many people going online in such a short time, hackers, those humans that insist of mimicking viruses, will follow. Those with poor security practices will make easy targets. And also, unfortunately, those with good security practices may also find themselves as targets.

Do the best you can to minimize your risk.

What was once a quirky bit of cuteness (not being tech savvy) can now expose you to risk. In the same way that you wash your hands and maintain social distancing, tighten up your computer security practices.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve.

Stay safe and wash your hands.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Rivlin, CPA

President

The Rivlin Group PC

Disclaimer:

The purpose of this article is for informational/educational use only. No client relationship is intended by virtue of your use of this article. This article cannot be relied on for official advice regarding your specific situation, and is meant only to be general in nature. Because the regulatory environment is so dynamic at this time, it is possible that the content in this article will be superseded. This article was drafted on 13th April 2020.

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