Securing yourself and your home - simple tips

R K Harrison spoke to Blackstone Consultancy Ltd around some simple tips which our clients can benefit from during lockdown when Cybercrime has been increasing.

When securing properties, there is no one size fits all approach. The risks faced, the exposure – both physical and digital – and the attack methods vary on a case by case basis. Clearly individuals living in an urban apartment face different risks to those who live in a suburban cul-de-sac and those who live in a rural setting. Below are some simple tips which can help reduce your risk no matter where you live, while being relatively straightforward and quick to enact:

• Router Security – changing the default password and removing the manufacturers pre-set settings from the rear of the router will help to prevent someone ‘piggybacking’ your internet connection and monitoring all internet traffic coming through the router. Routers are sometimes left on windows, allowing people outside to view this information.
• Securing home office – with many of us working from home for the foreseeable future, securing your workspace and equipment is crucial. Whether an entrepreneur or a C-Suite employee, the reputational damage which can occur as a result of a data breach from your remote workplace could be catastrophic. Computers should be shut down and papers / laptops stored in a secure unit.
• Online exposure – It is unrealistic to expect no online presence, managing this however is necessary and there are some easy solutions to limit your overexposure and links between you and your property.
• Bank account silo’s – Separating your main account from where you buy items online and your food delivery app helps to reduce the overall risk should one single organisation’s security be breached. We advise that small sums are stored in each, limiting your loss in the case of an incident.
• Passwords – Email addresses should be regularly inputted into one of the many websites that are able to monitor for any data breaches that have affected you. Passwords should be changed in the immediate aftermath of these and should also be regularly changed whatever the situation. Software applications can provide you with a vault top securely generate and store passwords and log in IDs.
• Estate Agents / Interior Stylists /Contractor management – The permissions given to contractors should be assessed prior to agreement, be it interior designers or architects. Clearly, they wish to show off their good work, but sometimes this is to the detriment of your security. Sensible discussions should be had to come to an agreement. Similarly, photos and floorplans of properties should be removed from estate agent website after a sale or let has been agreed.

Whether you are a high-profile individual or are relatively anonymous, burglars and other criminals will conduct a thorough online reconnaissance of you and your property to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Combined with your physical security systems – alarms, CCTV, lighting – having a well maintained and non-compromising online footprint will go some way towards target hardening and forcing the criminal to go elsewhere.

Article Courtesy of Blackstone Consultancy Limited – Chartered Security Specialists

Website: blackstoneconsultancy.com