Bits & Bytes - October 2023

Welcome to our latest update

A round up of news and tips from October, that we hope you enjoy

In this edition we are happy to share our latest article centred around Cyber Security Awareness Month and how small and medium sized businesses can do a lot to encourage the right behaviour from their users.

We also have a great tip on using vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge to increase your productivity, as well as a free cyber security awareness training offer for our newsletter subscribers that you don't want to miss!

Be smarter than a hacker

With Cyber Security Awareness training

National Cyber Security Awareness Month has been running for 20 years this October – two decades dedicated to encouraging us to take care online and look after our data and finances so we’re not left frustrated and out of pocket by scammers and hackers.

Focusing on the human element of cyber security, the theme this year is “Be Smarter than a Hacker”. What are you doing to protect yourself and your business from cyber criminals? You can have all the sophisticated technical defences in the world, but if you and your staff are not prepared for the attacks that slip through the net, it’s a question of when, not if, you will fall victim to a scam.

Read the full story, where we will cover areas such as: 

• How to be smarter than a hacker

• What are phishing, vishing and smishing?

• Are you acting against your own self-interest?

• And much more...

Top Tip

How to use vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge browser

Vertical tabs are a new way to show all your open web pages in a clear and organised list, tucked away to the left of your screen rather than along the top.

If you’re like me, and often have so many tabs open that it’s nearly impossible to recognise what each tab is for, vertical tabs are probably for you.

In Edge, click on the tab menu button in the top left corner of the window, and then click “Turn on vertical tabs”. All tabs will then move to a clear, readable list.

Clicking on the arrow will minimise the tabs list. When you hover your mouse over the tabs, the list will automatically expand.

You can search through tabs by clicking back on the tab menu button, and selecting “Search tabs”. You can also use features like opening tabs from other devices that are signed into the same Edge account.

Give this feature a try and see if you prefer it over traditional tabs.

Because October is Cyber Security Awareness month, we are offering a limited number of newsletter subscribers some FREE Mobile Phone Security Awareness training in a private session catered to you and your team.

It’s an opportunity to reduce your risks and raise your and your team’s security awareness.

The training comprises of a 30 minute presentation on the topic of mobile phone security. Last year in London alone, an average of 240 phones were stolen every day, so it’s an area where lessons clearly need to be learned and applied.

The training will be delivered in the form of a Teams or Zoom call and is available to clients and non-clients.

To take advantage of this offer, email us with some 30 minute slots on a couple of  dates which work for you, as well as the number of attendees.

Thank you for reading and sharing

The theme of October's Cyber Security Awareness month takes us back to basics, going through the small things we can do to be smarter than a hacker. It also shows that none of us are immune to insecure behaviour, like still opting for weak passwords or hastily clicking on unsafe email links.

We all need to remember to keep a security first mindset as we go about our daily business.

If you need any help or would like to discuss anything you have read in this newsletter, please get in touch with Simon Heath.

• Call 020 7572 0000 or email simon@thefinalstep.co.uk
• Connect with Simon on LinkedIn