Cybersecurity tips for protecting your business, family and personal data

CREATED BY ROGER EDDOWES Published: 02/02/2026 @ 09:00AM #CyberSecurityTips #OnlineSafety #DataProtection #PhishingScams #SmallBusinessSecurity #PersonalCyberSafety

Here are some cybersecurity tips you can actually use day to day, without getting overwhelmed. Learn how to spot common scams, verify requests safely, and lock down accounts with better habits. Think of it as a calm, practical checklist ...

Cybersecurity tips, Protecting our digital world, Stay safe, stay aware

You don't need to be a tech expert to take control of risk; you just need repeatable habits, applied consistently. The best cybersecurity tips are the ones you'll still follow when you're busy, distracted, or trying to get through your inbox fast.

Start by assuming that any unexpected request
for action could be wrong!

This is not because you're paranoid, but because attackers rely on speed, emotion, and routine to bypass judgment. When an email, call, or message arrives out of the blue and asks you to do something 'right now', pause and verify before you touch anything.

If it claims to be your bank, a supplier, a delivery firm, or even your own IT team, contact them using an official route you already trust, such as the number on your card, your supplier contract, or your internal directory.

This one habit underpins online safety and makes most attacks fail, as you removed the attacker's control over the conversation.

A useful way to think about phishing scams is that they're not really about technology; they're about decision-making under pressure. If you're asked to log in via a link, open an attachment you weren't expecting, or confirm details to avoid a penalty, slow the process down. Hover over links to see where they truly lead, and if the domain looks off, oddly shortened, or unrelated to the sender, close it and verify through a known site you type in yourself.

Treat passwords and one-time codes as non-transferable,
even when the request sounds legitimate!

Real organisations don't need you to read out a verification code from your phone, and they don't need your password to check an account. Good data protection starts with keeping secrets secret, and it's worth being blunt: if someone asks for credentials or codes, you stop, you don't negotiate, and you switch to a trusted channel.

For small business security, the simplest wins are often the most neglected because they feel boring. Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever you can, especially for email, banking, payroll, and any system that stores customer data. Keep devices, browsers, and apps updated, because most breaches exploit known flaws that updates quietly fix; set updates to run automatically so you're not relying on memory.

If something feels off, act as though it might be real and contain the impact, but do it safely. You can change credentials, but you should do it by navigating directly to the proper website or app, not by clicking a link from a message that worried you in the first place.

If you're in a workplace, report the incident to an IT professional promptly, as quick reporting often prevents a single mistake from becoming a wider compromise.

It also helps to recognise the common shapes of attacks so you can label them quickly and move on. You might see an email pushing you to click a link, a phone caller pretending to be support and asking for a code, or a text that looks like a delivery notice with an urgent link; these are all variations on the same idea: get you to act before you think.

You can also run into seemingly free offers that hide malware, believable stories designed to extract information, or someone physically following you into a restricted area when you're trying to be polite. Good personal cyber safety includes noticing these patterns without overreacting.

Your red-flag detector should get sharper, not louder!

Messages that create urgency, request unusual payment methods, use sloppy language, or include unexpected attachments signal that you should slow down and verify. Unknown USB sticks and random downloads are never free, and calls that pressure you to bypass normal processes are rarely benign; your best response is a calm refusal and a separate call to a known number.

At home, the same principles apply, just with different targets. Your family photos, saved cards, and email account are valuable because they unlock everything else, so treat the main email account like the master key: protect it with 2FA, a strong, unique password, and careful recovery options.

The cybersecurity tips that work best are the ones you repeat in both your business and personal life, because consistency turns caution into routine.

Until next time ...

ROGER EDDOWES
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About Roger Eddowes ...
Roger trained at Edward Thomas Peirson & Sons in Market Harborough before working at Hartwell & Co, followed by Chancery, as a partner. He started Essendon Accounts and Tax with Helen Beaumont in 2014 as a general practitioner with a hands-on approach. Roger loves getting his hands dirty, working with emerging, small-to-medium and family businesses to ensure they receive the best possible accountancy advice. Roger utilises an extensive network of business contacts to leverage the best guidance and practical solutions.

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