Parenta's October Magazine

Cyber Cyber security security tips for your setting tips
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‘Cyber security’ is the technology, processes, and practices designed and put in place
to protect networks, devices, computer programmes and data from attack, damage, or
unauthorised access. It can also be referred to as ‘information technology security’.
During 2019, more businesses and charities than ever before have taken positive steps
to improve their cyber security. This is encouraging news and in part, linked to the
introduction of GDPR which requires that personal data must be processed securely using
appropriate technical and organisational measures.
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Don’t overshare on social media - information gleaned from social media can be used
to guess passwords or answer security questions on other sites (e.g. your dog’s name,
place of birth, or mother’s maiden name).
Recognise and avoid phishing attacks – be wary of emails that contain links or attachments,
even if they appear to come from valid sources - email spoofing is the creation of emails with a
forged sender address which appears legitimate but is not the spammer’s own address.
Don’t save passwords in your browser – the common practice of ‘’remembering
passwords’’ in browsers is not recommended, should someone gain access to your
computer or mobile device, they’ll be able to access any accounts for which you’ve stored
your login credentials.
Don’t send passwords or account login credentials over public or unsecured Wi-Fi
networks – otherwise you are broadcasting to everyone in the radius of your wireless
signal all your personal and account information.
The “Facts on hacks”
According to the Cyber Security
Breaches Survey 2019, a third
of UK businesses (32%) and
two in ten of UK charities
(22%) identified cyber security
breaches or attacks in the last
12 months. The most common
types are:
Phishing attacks – used
to steal user data e.g. your
login details and credit card
numbers. They occur when an
attacker, masquerading as a
trusted entity, dupes a victim
into opening an email, instant
message, or text message.
Impersonation attacks
– created to dupe you into
revealing information or making
financial transactions. The attack
itself is carried out by sending an
email pretending to be from an
organisation you may work with.
Malware, including
ransomware attacks -
malware is a general term that
is used to describe a number
of malicious types of software,
including adware, Trojans,
spyware and more which are
designed to cause harm or
damage to a computer.
Protect yourself from these attacks –
our top 10 tips!
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Don’t underestimate that you are a target – it doesn’t matter how
small or big your childcare business is, realise that you are always a
potential target to hackers.
Lock and turn off computer when not in use – leaving computing
devices on, unattended and connected to the internet opens the door for
rogue attacks.
Back up securely - back up your data regularly, and make sure your
anti-virus and firewall software is always up-to-date.
Beware of browsing – sensitive
browsing such as banking or shopping
should be done on devices that belong
to you, on a network you trust. If it’s on
a public computer or free Wi-Fi – it is
possible that your data could be copied
or stolen.
Make passwords secure and strong – practice good password
management. Eight characters is not enough. Use a strong mix of upper
and lowercase letters, special characters and numbers, use two-factor
authentication where possible, and don’t use the same password for all
online accounts.
Get rid of old data you no longer need – keep your computer and
mobile devices clean, keep only the data you need and safely archive or
destroy older data.
Is your childcare business
website and data secure?
It is imperative that you use a high
quality and trusted source when it
comes to the security and safety of your
data. Parenta’s website platform and
software products’ activities are based
on cloud computing services provided
by Amazon Web Services (AWS), one
of the childcare industry’s most trusted
and secure cloud-based solutions.
Here at Parenta, we build secure and
trusted websites for the childcare
industry with the following features and
security measures:
☑☑
Fully GDPR Compliant - features
include customisable cookie
notifications, opt-in notifications,
form response page and privacy
page.
☑☑
Free SSL (secure site) - you will see
a small lock icon in your dashboard
to indicate that the site is secure.
☑☑
Antivirus, Malware Protection and
Path Management - automated
vulnerability scans are conducted
regularly in order to detect web
application vulnerabilities.
☑☑
Backup and Restore - Data such
as images, files and scripts are
If you want to learn more about data protection or refresh your existing knowledge, why not take a
look at our CPD course “Data Protection - GDPR”? For the whole of October, we are offering 20% off
this course! Use discount code “TB11VU”. Take a look here.
automatically backed up on a
daily basis via AWS Amazon
Machine Image. In addition, data
is replicated to another AWS data
centre.
☑☑
Monitoring and Alerts - we use
several automated monitoring tools
meant to detect abnormalities and
misuse.
☑☑
Delete and Destroy - customer data
will only be stored for as long as
Parenta and its customer has an
active agreement, and as long as it
serves the purposes for which the
data was collected.
☑☑
Physical Security - password
policy is enforced for any user
on the platform (account owners,
team members, customers). The
password is fully encrypted/
hashed.
☑☑
Network & Data Communication
- remote access requires VPN
connection and two-factor
authentication.
☑☑
Access Control - all data
communication networks with
external access are protected by
a central firewall. Networks are
separated for functionality and
usage.
Our experienced and friendly team
are available to help you with your
website needs! Get in touch today:
0800 002 9242
websites@parenta.com
parenta.com/websites
European Cyber Security Month
(ECSM) is the EU’s annual
awareness campaign that takes
place each October across
Europe. The aim is to raise
awareness of cybersecurity
threats, promote cybersecurity
among the community and
organisations, and provide
resources to protect themselves
online, through education and
sharing of good practices –
whether personal, financial or
professional. The main goal
is to raise awareness, change
behaviour and provide resources
for everyone about how to
protect themselves online.
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