Gone are the days of a hacker being a stereotypical "spotty teenager with a hoodie in a dark room or cellar." 

With Cyber Security Week (#csaw2020) just around the corner, we ask you all to be vigilant at all times. Take the time and think twice before you click on that link that you're unsure on why it was sent to you, or question - is it a genuine email you were expecting? Pick up the phone and check if you are unsure.

A Hackers Paradise consists of things like

  • Unencrypted passwords
  • Easy to decipher passwords or the same password used multiple times
  • Unsecure software
  • Out of date software

Instead ensure that you:

  1. Have up to date software 
  2. Don't leave your computer unattended or in a public area with visibility for others to see your screen
  3. Have 2 factor authentications
  4. Use tough passwords
  5. Don't use public/open WiFi's
  6. Make sure you protect your own WiFi
  7. Use different passwords for each login/account.

A good developer will integrate security during the course of design and development stages of software. They will also examine possible threats and vulnerabilities, putting up defences and countermeasures to ensure that software is robust and reliable.

We asked our expert what a developer does to keep on top of cyber crime:

"Keeping on top with the latest security procedures, standards and patches both from a developers position and a DevOps position is key to combating cyber crime. We also write secure and well structured code, keeping in focus with the security elements of the application.

We use development methodologies like TDD (Test Driven Development) and Agile. Another important area is writing unit tests to test all area of the applications functionality and access with frequent review of code and workflow. This allows us to be a step ahead with quick responses to issues that could compromise the security and integrity of the applications.

Frequent backups of code repositories and data is also critical and avoids complete disaster, making you also resilient to many other factors including cyber crime. So make sure you use SSH keys for example to secure access code and backups and keep development frameworks patched and up-to-date with any security releases as soon as possible."

Keep safe online. Protect, Detect, Mitigate