Keeping security simple is one of the keys to making a workforce or userbase react in a more secure way. However, the perception is that security is hard. It doesn’t have to be… So let’s make security simple – very simple … y’know crude but still effective with 5 simple tips.

Definition of crude:

As Google says: Define:Crude

constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way.

CRUDE Security

So the concept is to make a simple, easy-to-remember acronym that is easy to do. It also should be so simple that non-technical people will be able to follow it and kn0w why they are doing it too. This started as a LinkedIn post with the U,D and C and then, I added the R. Then Barry very nicely pointed out it spelt CRUD and Gary then helped with the E and so CRUDE Security was formed.

I actually think as a basic security model most people from you at home to small businesses could implement this easily within their environment and add some simple layers of security.

CANCEL

Cancel memberships to groups and subscriptions you no longer use.

Sometimes we buy stuff online, we want some information, we join a social media group or we register for something.

Currently your mailboxes are filling up with junk mail and endless offer emails making it easier for criminals to hide in the mess to send their phishing emails. Our social media is continually pinging us with notifications for stuff we no longer want to know about. On top of this is the toxicity of some connections and so a simple cull of those groups will help your mental health as well as reduce the volume of things you have to deal with. So, cancel it out, cancel those subscriptions and memberships to services you no longer need. use filtering tools like muting words in social media to cancel out the noise which clouds your feed.

REMOVE

Remove social media connections that are no longer relevant to you.

It is easy to collect people in the same way it is easy to collect like those old computer cables that are lurking in a box somewhere or those plastic bags in that drawer. However, we can also make bad choices in what and who we collect – so remove those you don’t need or want anymore. They may be people who are toxic mentally to you, those who just post spam, those who keep posting those annoying self-congratulatory messages, companies that you realised weren’t who they cracked up to be. We also can make business connections which can also change as we change our roles – keep your connections fresh and up to date and remove those that don’t relate any more.

A side note on this one – be aware that some social media sites have algorithms that make connections for you without you realising … don’t you LinkedIn. Unfollow and Delete Connection.

UNSUBSCRIBE

UNSUBSCRIBE from all that mail you never read.

Are you on vendor mailing lists? Do your shopping habits keep filling your email inbox with adverts? Are you still getting emails from that place you only bought from once? Well, unsubscribe! As you do this, you will realise how many places have your email details

A useful additional tip (use with caution): Go into these websites and change your details to ‘not you’. Make the name – not you, that address, not yours and the email address can go too … ensure you take a copy of any important details like orders etc if you need them and do not change details where warranties are still in place!

DELETE

DELETE apps connected to your social media profiles.

OK, this is technically a three-for-one kind of deal.

Look at the device you are reading this on. Your phone, your computer maybe? Look at all those apps you no longer use! That camera filter that was so lame, that torch app that you installed, then you realised where the torch button was on your phone, Angry Birds – I haven’t played that in years. Delete them!

Look at your computer or laptop … delete all those unused apps, games, the extra fonts you installed for that one card. Empty your trash too, oh and empty your downloads folder – and your temp files! Look at all the room you’ve now got on your devices.

But wait, that’s only two .. what’s the third? OK, if you’re like me, I have all sorts of apps that connect to my social media from malware scanners to metrics. Have you looked at some of them recently? If not, disconnect them, get rid of them! Why are you still sharing data with them – gone, deleted – phew! And not a single Marie Condo moment in sight!!

ERASE

Erase old data you no longer need.

Thank you to Gary Hibberd of CyberFort for this one – ERASE … I have stuff from my first ever computer that I brought from floppy disks to CDs to DVDs, then, on to this computer only to realise none of it works on Windows 10 and I certainly don’t have the software to open some of my old documents! I have them all in a folder called Delete … still not gone. How about that email PST file from your old Uni days? Any old scans of your passport for that application form? How about those old text messages on your phone that are just sat there. Well, get rid. Erase them!

On a corporate network, you may need to hang on to some data for legislation purposes and need to look at GDPR requirements too … so instead, you could archive them securely into some archive system and delete names and identifiable info too.

Finally, don’t forget that not all data is digital. So have a look at those old notebooks from your first-ever job – they could be a treasure trove of information in the wrong hands. Consider buying a cross-cut shredder and securely ‘erasing’ your paper mountains too.

Summary

So now you’ve done some CRUDE Security, you have:

• a mobile device that is running faster without the bloatware on it hogging resources,
• a phone battery that might even last longer without those apps in the background,
• a desktop computer that is like a new machine now it doesn’t have apps just hogging disk space,
• storage space on your computer at last!
• a loft that is no longer groaning under all those old box files and notepads
• an office that looks tidier
• emptied the drawers in that filing cabinet you dread walking past

… and all it took was the 5 simple steps of CRUDE Security!

Well done … set a diary reminder for next month and do it again. Keep on top of it. Security is not a one-off thing, but if you keep it simple and keep nibbling away and keep on top of it, then you’ll be in a better place!

StaySafe!