Data Breaches Are On The Rise
Today is world backup day, a holiday dedicated to protecting your data from corruption or a breach. According to the Identity Theft Research Center, in 2021 the number of data breaches has increased by 68% and ransomware attacks now account for over 20% of all cyber attacks. Ransomware attacks encrypt users’ data and prevent them from accessing vital financial and personal information.
The best way to protect yourself and the university from these data compromises is to create backups of all your data in case it is lost or stolen. The blog for World Backup Day suggests generating two backups, one on a cloud service and one on a physical hard drive to secure your information.
What Is the Cloud?
The cloud is any software that is accessed and stored over the internet instead of on your computer, cloud storage services can access your information through an internet connection so you can use any device. All Fordham students and faculty can use Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive (read more on how to use OneDrive on the SecureIT blog here). These apps can be found in the Fordham.edu portal under My Apps in Google Suite and Office 365.
How To Check Backup Settings On Your Computer
For Windows: Type backup settings in the Start menu. You will now see options to save your local files onto OneDrive or to backup onto a physical hard drive or USB stick.
For Mac: In the finder go to the Time Machine app to see your backup frequency and settings. To backup onto a USB or Thunderbolt drive, go to select backup disk and click use disk.
Backups For Mobile Devices
Most mobile devices generate automatic daily backups however on iPhones backups don’t include information already in your iCloud account so if your iCloud account is hacked, Photos, Notes, Text Messages, and Contacts will be lost. To protect this data it is recommended to use an alternative backup app from what comes with your phone. Google Cloud, pCloud, and Mega.io all offer between 5-20 GB of free storage.
Follow Fordham SecureIT On Social Media
For more information on how to practice good cyber hygiene visit the Information Security and Assurance website and blog for tips and updates surrounding cyber security events that affect the Fordham community and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!