Computer Security Day

Computer Security Day takes place in November each year with the aim to raise awareness around cyber security.

Here at Bell Lamb & Joynson, we pride ourselves on being an innovative law firm and our early adoption of digital solutions, like our conveyancing app, meant that we saw first-hand the benefits of investing in an online strategy.

In 2016, we began employing new systems and technology within the firm to digitalise our 200- year-old business. It was our belief that adopting these new technologies would aid communication both internally and client-facing, while providing additional security by using mobile phone apps and online portals, which are more secure than traditional email.

In addition to these new strategies, Bell Lamb & Joynson was able to adopt a paper free approach across the firm at an early stage, including digital collaboration with clients and third parties. Not only does this aid efficiency and organisation across our departments, but it also means our sustainability efforts are more successful as paper consumption is almost non-existent across the organisation.

We champion digital innovation across the law sector and as new digital solutions are increasingly adopted to improve services, we think awareness of cyber security should be at the forefront of these developments.

In honour of Computer Security Day, we’ve collected some top tips to help you navigate the digital space safely.

1. Use complex passwords and avoid repetition. One of the easiest ways of practicing good cyber security is ensuring that your passwords are strong and regularly updated. If you are concerned about getting overwhelmed by a growing list of passwords, there are plenty of password managers out there which can help you keep track.

Top tip: When creating a password, try to mix upper and lowercase letters with symbols as this makes it much harder for hackers to access your personal information.

2. Update your computer regularly. Failing to update operating systems is an easy oversight but one that often leaves people vulnerable to issues. The updates for operating systems running on your desktop or mobile can be easy to dismiss until a later date; pressing that ‘remind me later’ button is tempting, but it can have a serious impact. Regularly updating operating systems ensures your device can protect itself with the latest software and means hackers are less likely to target your digital systems.

Top tip: Don’t forget, updates are there for a reason so avoid hitting snooze on your cyber security.

3. Take your time and trust your instincts. Online scams have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years and their sophistication is developing every day. If you receive an email, even from someone you know, and something about it just doesn’t feel right – don’t click on any of the contents. When it comes to email attachments and links, it’s important to take that extra time to really scrutinise what you’re looking at. By only downloading content from reliable sources, you are taking the steps to protect your personal information.

Top tip: Check the sender information, even if the name is one you recognise double-check the email address is correct before responding.

4. Be careful what you post on social media. Social media has many benefits, but it also comes with its own dangers that can leave people susceptible to security issues. One of the ways hackers can access passwords and accounts to exploit people online is through personally identifiable information or PII. This could be anything from date of births, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses, so it is important to be conscious of what you are putting out there.

Top tip: Try setting your social media profile to private so that only friends and family can view your information.

5. Check for the padlock on all websites you visit. One of the easiest and quickest ways to ensure you are browsing the internet securely is a simple check on the upper left of the screen. If you are visiting a safe website, you should be able to see a small padlock located next to the address bar and this means that the connection between the browser and the server on which the website is hosted is secure.

Top tip: Always look out for the padlock icon and double-check the URL to ensure you are visiting safe websites.

Bell Lamb & Joynson is committed to utilising digital solutions to better serve the interests of our employees and clients and part of this is being conscious of cyber security. So, on this Computer Security Day, try to take some time to reflect on how safe your online practices really are.