Welcome to the Grow Training Newsletter.  We are now in the Recovery phase and as July brings confirmation that 5,823,806 doses of vaccine have been administered to the adult population. 72% are now fully vaccinated, we can breathe a large sigh of relief.

The government continues a cautious approach with the next phase of reopening due to the Delta wave. Leaving many people frustrated and annoyed but we need to #HoldFirm through this phase. We are a very resilient nation, so GROW Training continue to emphasize wearing PPE, social distancing and training.  This is the key in keeping your staff and customers safe while moving the business forward.

Newsletter Featured Course

Our featured course this month is Cyber Security, after the recent cyber-attack on the HSE computer systems – by far the largest, most disruptive example in a long line of hacker strikes on Irish business in the recent past. Cyber-security is a challenge for businesses at every level and when they happen, they happen quickly. A cyber-attack can maliciously disable computers, steal data, or use a breached computer as a launch point for other attacks. For most victims of a cyber-attack, it can take somewhere between the two to four week or in unusual cases, it can take months to recover, loosing data even closing businesses.  To check out the course Click HERE

Password Security

Are we adequately prepared for the Hacker? 11% of the world’s population still use 1234 as their password! Changing your passwords regularly on all devices is something you can schedule.

• You should avoid using common words and character combinations in your password. Be aware that phrases like “mypassword”, simple digit combinations like “1234”, predictable character sequences like “qwerty”, Birthdays, Pets names ect – are terrible password choices.
• Opt for longer passwords – make sure to use at least eight characters. If your password includes three random words, a few digits, and a few symbols – that’s a perfect combination.
• Don’t use the same password across different accounts and platforms. If you find it challenging to remember lots of different passwords, use a password manager. This is one of the most basic security measures you can put in place yourself to protect your personal and business data from cyber-attacks.

Email Security

Knowing what to look for when you receive a malicious email (known as phishing) The Covid-19 outbreak has led to a significant rise in phishing email scams. In the first month of the coronavirus lockdown, the number of phishing emails sent globally increased by 667%.  So you should be careful about clicking on attachments or links in any email that looks suspicious…. unlike this Newsletter!

Here is how you can detect phishing email:
• Don’t trust emails sent from a public email domain like @gmail.com and @yahoo.com. Remember that every legitimate organization has its own email domain and company accounts. For example, legitimate emails from LinkedIn include “@linkedin.com”.
• Check whether the domain name is spelled correctly.
• Spot grammatical and spelling errors in the text. As a rule, phishing emails are poorly written.
• Don’t open attached files you didn’t expect to receive. If you have received an email with an attached PDF file that claims to be an invoice from a person you are not familiar with, don’t click on it.
• Don’t trust messages that create a sense of urgency. Scammers tend to use this psychological trick to make people click malicious links.
• Use secure email providers for data and communication protection.

These are just two things we can do to help protect our business and personal information. Read more about password security from Cybernews HERE 

Remote Working Safety

Here’s a few basic tips for remote workers that can go a long way in enhancing the overall security posture of your organisation.
• Choose Strong Passwords. Passwords provide the first line of defence against unauthorized access to your devices and personal information.
• Install Updates. … to ignore those little pop-up windows that tell you that software updates are available for your device. Once you get such a notification, be sure to install the latest software as soon as possible. Timely software updates (including antivirus updates) help patch security flaws and safeguard the computer system.
• Keep your devices separate – So if your employees use a device provided by the business, make sure that they use it only for work. Encourage them not to use it to watch their favourite TV shows or buy tickets for vacations.   These things must be done on personal devices. Vice versa is true too. Don’t use your personal tablet or PC for work because it lacks proper security.

By following this simple rule, you will minimize cybersecurity risks and prevent sensitive business data as well as your personal data from being stolen.  Hope you found this Newsletter helpful.

Call Deborah for more details from this Newsletter and on how we can help to protect your Business.

We continue to work with you to ensure you and your Team are safe and compliant. As always, we are committed to providing you with excellent service and if you need any help, support or refresher courses contact info@growtraining or 0834014242.  Check out our Business courses HERE