This month is Cyber Security Awareness Month which is timely given recent events in the news.
The Guild takes very seriously any threat to the cyber space of the industry and our members.
There are several easy steps you can take to ensure your private data and that of your customers are secure.
The first step is to log onto the federal government’s Cyber Security Centre which shows you quickly and easily the best way to secure your data.
The website asks these four important questions/points:
- Have you been hacked?
- Is your email secure?
- How do you act now to stay secure?
- It’s time to take action!
The guild also has a helpful page on cyber security.
Guild President, Professor Trent Twomey says managing cyber security is not a task of set and forget.
“Cyber criminals are always trying to stay one step ahead of authorities in terms of their technology and methodology in trying to steal your data.
“They only have to get it right once, to access all our private information.
“Whereas we have to get it right 100% of the time to secure our data,” he said.
For anyone wanting to know how to increase their cybersecurity, the guild’s website offers you help in getting started and has links to other sites to help you build on that security.
The website is dedicated to pharmacies, so it suggests ways to specifically protect the data of your business and customers.
Like all good cyber aware sites, it focuses on the fundamentals in cybersecurity, specifically:
- Keep your virus and malware software protection up to date
- Always have your data backed up on a cloud platform with keychain protection
- Protect your accounts with two factor identification (usually a password plus a pin code sent to your phone or email address)
In addition to the Guild’s cyber security site, the government also has a site dedicated to health professionals.
As well as helping individuals and businesses protect against cyber-attacks, there is also advice on each of these sites on what to do if you have been hacked.
Professor Twomey says this is just as important as prevention.
“Many of us may feel embarrassed to learn our database has been hacked, but it is so important that if or when you have been violated to inform authorities as soon as possible.
“Just like Neighbourhood Watch, if your home has been burgled, you want to let people in your area know, there are thieves active in your neighbourhood.
“The same applies in the cyber world, it’s important everyone knows of a specific threat, so we are vigilant to new scam emails or texts and can stop it from the start,” he said.
