What are the best ways to protect yourself from phishing and ransomware attacks?

Strong passwords are about key space and entropy. Even the folks at NIST have come out with updated guidance about what makes for good passwords. That said, passwords are no longer sufficient on their own. Multi-factor authentication is a must these days, and so is choosing security algorithms that cryptographic experts currently believe are quantum-resistant. The old advice about complexity is outdated, but not everyone is prepared to adopt strong MFA yet either. YubiKeys are cheap. FIDO2 and U2F are gaining traction, and webauthn is a viable option for many SaaS apps. There's no silver bullet, but there ARE alternatives out there today that will help NOW. No need to wait; we're already living in the future!

Il faut sensibiliser les employé(e)s par des formations et implémenter des campagnes de Phishing agin de simuler des attaques. Cela permettra de cerner les personnes succeptibles de tomber dans les pièges d'ameçonnage.

Leverage Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Implementing MFA for all your online accounts is crucial. This security protocol requires you to present two or more verification factors — a knowledge factor (your password), a possession factor (a device only you have), or an inherence factor (biometrics). Adopt a Zero-Trust Browsing Philosophy: Ensure HTTPS is present in website URLs before entering any personal data, and consider browser add-ons that flag malicious sites. Develop a Personal Incident Response Strategy: Think like a cybersecurity expert and draft your own incident response blueprint. Should you fall prey to an attack, this plan will be your playbook, outlining immediate damage control and recovery steps.

Backups and archival copies aren't the same. Online backup solutions are poor protection against ransomware. For the enterprise, LTO-9 tape libraries are one of your best options for air-gapped backups and long-term archival storage. The hardware is expensive, but the cost per terabyte for tape can be as little as 20% of an equivalent amount of spinning disks. And with a shelf-life of decades, your archival data is MUCH safer than disk-based alternatives. For individuals, the math is a bit different. However, you can get professional grade tape drives that will store 18-45 TB per cartridge for under $4k, with tapes selling for around $50 a pop if you shop wisely. Not everyone needs that level of data assurance, but keep it in mind.

In my experience, phishing and Ransomware are two prolific attacks that could damage the reputation for individuals and organizations. Phishing is one of the social engineering attack that uses trickery over the phone, emails or suspicious link, and session browsing where attackers incite you to click and then collect your sensitive information to perpetrate attack to disrupt the well functioning of a system. One of the best practices to avoid phishing is the training awareness and malicious links alert. Ransomware is a dangerous attack that uses malicious tactics to collect sensitives data and lock the system and request a ransom as a condition for data release. To avoid it, do frequent back-ups, training awareness and MFA.