Prepare for your return to work in a cybersecure manner

As the holidays come to an end for many French people, it is time to look back at the measures to take to secure the professional environment after the holidays and prepare for a peaceful return to school.

Back to school must be cybersecure, first by resetting passwords to secure accounts. It is advisable to use long, complex phrases and to activate two-factor authentication (2FA), if possible. This protects against unauthorized access and it is not recommended to use the same passwords on multiple accounts. The CNIL website offers a free tool to generate a strong password.

Next, make sure all software and operating systems are up to date. Updates fix vulnerabilities and protect against cyberattacks on Internet browsers, software, and system environments. Make sure mobile devices are protected with strong passwords and remote locking features are enabled.

In the event of loss or theft, these measures can prevent unauthorized access to personal data. To learn all about the latest flaws and vulnerabilities targeting global IT, Anssi, the National Agency for the Security of Computer Systems, offers security alerts through CERT France. Many documents are available, ranging from information on immediate dangers to Anssi’s investigations into threats and incident handling.

You should be vigilant about emails received during the holidays. You should check the sender’s address and not click on suspicious links or attachments. You should never hesitate to contact the person you are talking to, in person, to check the content of the email sent during the holidays.

Finally, before resuming work, you should make a complete backup of your data using automatic backup solutions to protect important files. The backup can be done on a removable media that will then be disconnected from the backed up device.