Cybersecurity month: don't forget to make backups and updates

In Belgium and the rest of Europe, the focus is on cybersecurity in October. And it turns out this is necessary: in the global cybersecurity index, Belgium is in 27th place, well behind our neighbouring countries.

The need to improve the “digital health” of Belgians is also apparent from a recent survey organised by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (September 2018): 22% never makes backups, 24% only does it in the cloud and 24% rarely updates their system.

Importance of backups and updates

Reason enough for the CCB to work on Belgium's digital health and to underline the importance of backups and updates. We can only confirm they are essential for a proper protection against threats of ransomware, etc.

Remember the following rules of thumb:

• Make several backups according to the 3-2-1 principle: see that you have three copies of your files, two of which you keep at home. For example, one on the device itself (your computer, smartphone, tablet, etc.), one on an external hard disk, and one copy you keep in another place on a second external hard disk or in the cloud.
• Update and scan! Keep your software up-to-date by installing the necessary security updates and scan your computer regularly for viruses and other malware. Need help choosing a suitable virus scanner? Check out Test Aankoop's antivirus software guide.
• Never click a link or attachment in an e-mail if you don't know it is safe. An accidental click can not only cost you money or personal data, your files also run a huge risk. Be particularly careful with attachments and never open them if you don't trust the sender. Check a link before clicking it by hovering over it with your cursor, the destination will appear next to your cursor or at the bottom of your screen. If the link does not go to the official website or it is a shortened link, it is probably false. If you received a suspicious e-mail, forward it to suspicious@safeonweb.be and mark the message as spam before deleting it.

Test your digital health

Do you want to know how good your digital health is and what you can improve? Do the test and compare your result with the Digital Health index.