Below are my top 2014 online security resolutions that I recommend you consider for you own list.

1. Ensure all your passwords for various services are different. Don’t have your capital letter first with numbers at the end. The algorithms are designed to attack this type of password. Make sure each of your passwords is at least 10 characters long with mixture of letters (upper and lower case), numbers, and special characters.
2. Ensure you have security software that is up to date
3. Continuously check and adjust, if necessary, your privacy settings on your social media.
4. Start being or continue to be cyber savvy by practicing PIE (Protection, Intuition, and Education).
5. Always be alert for phishing email scams. Be skeptical and assume every message that appears in your inbox could be an attempt to steal your identity.
6. Ensure you use proper web filtering when browsing the Internet
7. If you are using free Wi-Fi ensure you are using SSL certificate site when inputting usernames and passwords. If the cert is out of date don’t use the site.
8. Don’t put too much personal information on social media. This can be used for social engineering.
9. Insist on Encryption software for all mobile devices.
10. On your business network you need to regularly conduct vulnerability and risk assessments.

Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Ronan Murphy CEO Smarttech.ie