Tips for Protecting Critical Infrastructure

Most of our Nation’s critical infrastructure now runs on the Internet. The systems that enable us to live our daily lives starting from the information systems, financial institutions, transportation systems, and more are all dependent upon a digital ecosystem. As cyber breaches continue to rise in frequency and scale, it is critical for all Pakistanis to understand their role and take steps to protect our critical national infrastructures.

SIMPLE TIPS 

Every day people connect to critical infrastructures without even realizing it from their smart phones, tablets, and computers. Here are three ways to do your part in helping secure our critical infrastructure by protecting your devices that connect to critical infrastructure systems and practicing safe online habits. 

Keep a clean machine. 

Keep the security software, operating system, and web browser on your devices updated. Keeping the software on your devices up to date will prevent attackers from being able to take advantage of known vulnerabilities.

Enable stronger authentication. 

Always enable stronger authentication for an extra layer of security beyond the password that is available on most major email, social media and financial accounts. Stronger authentication (e.g., multi-factor authentication that can use a one-time code texted to a mobile device) helps verify that a user has authorized access to an online account. 

When in doubt, throw it out. 

Links in email and online posts are often the way cyber criminals compromise your mobile devices. If it looks suspicious even if you know the source it’s best to delete or, if appropriate, mark it as ”junk email.” 

Make your passwords long & strong. Use complex passwords with a combination of numbers, symbols, and letters. Use unique passwords for different accounts. 

Secure your Wi-Fi network. Your home’s wireless router is the gateway entrance for cybercriminals to access all of your connected devices. Secure your Wi-Fi network, and your digital devices, by changing the factory-set default password and username.