Navigating the Digital Wilderness

Data thieves can gain access to information from a variety of places, including your mailbox, home and business trash, public dumps, public records and social media. Some criminals are after money, but some also seek public attention. The New Hampshire Insurance Department offers the following tips to help you manage your cybersecurity risks:

How do I know my identity is at risk?

If you store personal information on a home or work computer, bank or shop online, you may be at risk. Any of the following scenarios indicates that your data has been compromised:

• You see unexpected withdrawals from your bank account.
• You don’t receive your bills or other mail.
• You’re billed for health services you didn’t use or your health plan rejects your medical claim.

Regularly check your credit report for red flags, such as a new account you didn’t open.

How can I keep my information safe online?

There are basic steps you can take to secure your information and data:

• Safely dispose of personal information by shredding documents using a cross-cut shredder.
• Use complex passwords and strict privacy settings on your computer, devices and browsers.
• Install antivirus or anti-malware software and update it regularly.
• Be careful when sharing personal information on social media.
• Be cautious of what you download and avoid opening attachments from unknown senders.
• If your Social Security number is requested by a vendor, ask why it’s needed and how it will be used and protected.
• Back up your files to an encrypted flash drive or external hard drive.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) offers a cybersecurity checklist to help you protect your computer and money from online criminals.

Identity theft insurance

The cybersecurity and identity theft insurance market is growing and may be useful to you or your business depending on the types of information you collect and store.

Some homeowners’ or auto policies offer identity theft protection, which includes access to credit monitoring and repair services. Note that this refunds just the costs associated with restoring your identity and doesn’t cover loss if you used your credit/debit card to make purchases or get cash. Restoring other losses would depend on the coverage policies of your credit card company and bank.

Your insurance agent may be able to help provide more information about assessing your risks and whether additional coverage is needed on home or auto policies.

Cybersecurity insurance business coverage

Small companies are common targets for hackers, as they possess sensitive information but typically have less security than larger companies. Cybersecurity insurance provides coverage for compromised security or privacy breaches at work. Business cybersecurity policies tend to be highly customized and costly.

There are steps you can take to help secure your business:

• Conduct a security and self-risk assessment. Determine what to protect, what protection exists and where the gaps exist. Develop a plan to protect your property and data.
• Educate employees on smart use of social media, how to spot suspicious emails and not connecting to public Wi-Fi on a company device.
• If your small business has a disaster recovery plan, consider cybersecurity insurance as part of it. If you don't have such a plan, consider creating one. You might consider testing such as an internal phishing campaign against employees to check your vulnerability.
• Always back up important business systems and data. Encourage regular password changes, restrictions on the websites employees can access as well as strong security software.

More Information

The FDIC hosts a wealth of information on cybersecurity, and the Federal Trade Commission has an identity theft website to report incidents and develop a recovery plan.