Articles

Issued: 17 December 2024

Last modified: 17 December 2024

With the holiday period just around the corner, we're reminding all tax and BAS agents to keep your offices and client information secure if you're closing for a holiday break.

Cyber criminals are extremely opportunistic, and the holidays are the perfect time for them to attack your practice. They’ll use the busy holiday period to impersonate legitimate businesses, trick you into clicking harmful links and look for vulnerabilities in your computer network and software to gain unauthorised access to catch you off guard and steal yours and your clients’ information. 

Prevent this from happening and protect the security and confidentiality of your client records by taking some simple steps:

  • Secure all physical files in locked storage units or shred any unneeded files.
  •  Install and maintain anti-virus software on your workplace computers.
  • Deploy firewalls on your workplace computers and workplace networks.
  • Turn on automatic updates and install software updates as they become available to limit the amount of time criminals have to find and exploit any weaknesses.
  • Protect client records and your devices by using encryption where possible. This puts the information under digital ‘lock and key’. 
  • Log out of all your devices and store them securely.
  • Assess whether you need to take out additional professional indemnity insurance to cover a cyber-attack.
  • Ensure your Wi-Fi network is protected by a strong passkey and consider turning your Wi-Fi router off if you’re away an extended period.

This holiday season, make sure your entire team has the knowledge and tools they need to keep your business safe online. Give the gift of cyber security with Cyber Wardens training. This may count towards your continuing professional education (CPE).

Further information