October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and each year millions of individuals are impacted by cyberattacks, including phishing scams and malware.
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and each year millions of individuals are impacted by cyberattacks, including phishing scams and malware.
Unfortunately, churches aren’t immune to cyber threats. In fact, they can be prime targets for cybercriminals because they often handle sensitive information such as the personal and financial data of church members.
A successful cyberattack can lead to significant data loss, financial damage, legal consequences, and a loss of trust with members and others in the community. This is why it’s important to implement strong cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information from bad actors.
Cyber threats are evolving daily, and defending against those threats is becoming more important than ever, especially considering what’s at risk. Every ministry, no matter how big or small, is a target. Therefore, it’s crucial that churches ensure they’re doing everything they can to increase their ability to stay protected against cyberattacks.
Here are some steps individuals and churches can take to protect their information from a cyberattack:
Education. Learn how to implement cybersecurity best practices.
Use strong passwords and multifactor authentication. Complex passwords and multifactor authentication can prevent unauthorized access to computers, devices and networks.
Use encryption. Encryption helps protect information from being lost, misused or accessed by bad actors.
Be mindful of social media posts. Cybercriminals can use the information you post in social engineering scams to manipulate you into sharing personal information.
Avoid using public wi-fi and charging stations. These can often be used to steal your private data or gain access.
Make sure to update antivirus and anti-malware software. Antivirus and anti-malware protections are frequently updated to respond to new cyber threats. You should keep your security software, browsers and operating systems updated to make sure these new features are installed.
Use mobile devices safely.
Never leave your device unattended in public.
Lock your device with a PIN and/or password.
Only install apps from trusted sources (such as Apple® App Store, Google Play, etc.).
Enable loss and anti-theft tools that come with your device to help prevent a bad actor from being able to access your data if they have your device.
Backup your data regularly. Also consider saving data in the Cloud so that it can be easily recovered.
Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue but a matter of stewardship and responsibility. Churches and individuals should prioritize cybersecurity to protect their digital assets.
For more information, please visit:
https://adventistrisk.org/en-US/safety-resources/topics/cyber-security
Jennifer Gray Woods is the Lake Union legal counsel, as well as its Public Affairs and Religious LIberty director.
