I love that they actually got the statistic – 768% increase in remote desktop attacks. That’s definitely a number we need to be paying attention to. And 29B attempted attacks for the year is a reminder that the bad guys never take a break. A few things everyone should remember:

1. Password security is crucial. Make them long, make them different, make them strong. Have a password manager. Use 2FA (or MFA) to help add that extra layer of security. And please, don’t click on anything without verifying it with the sender first.
2. Have a playbook. And make sure it’s kept up to date. If you don’t have a playbook you likely don’t know what you’re up against, which also means you’ll be up against that “something” sooner than you think.

As most of us continue to work remotely, double checking files and links is an extra step. You can’t just yell across the hall, or visit someone else at their desk. Doing any IT troubleshooting is sometimes more difficult as well. As convenient as we’ve made working remotely, it still presents these extra steps to help stay secure that some people aren’t yet willing to continue to do every single time. Be paranoid. As weird as you might feel, always be paranoid. When you let your guard down is when you fall victim.