the past 12 months and on how we can better ourselves in the coming year.

Astaro, Sophos Network Security, urge you to consider committing to resolutions that will help secure your personal and business networks. Below are some suggestions for resolutions:

1. I will not access the Internet without up to date malware protection and an installed firewall and antivirus.

Why? Last year 150,000 malware attacks were registered daily! If only everybody would install sufficient security software, this threat would be minimalized.

2. I will not click on tinyURLs, hyperlinks or links of unknown origin without investigating first.

Why? Even if you think you know the sender or the site, this won’t guarantee your safety. 80% of these URLs stem from former legitimate pages, which were either hacked or infected.

3. I will update my security software package regularly and with a watchful eye!

Why? Fake antivirus software and SEO poisoning are the number one way malware is spread. Therefore stay alert and don’t blindly install updates, make sure they are from your provider. Otherwise, you are opening the door for new security breaches.

4. I will not wait until my laptop is stolen or lost before I encrypt data!

Why? Loss or theft of hardware makes up 30% of all data loss scenarios. Do your best to physically protect your hardware, but also make sure information is encrypted in case these precautions fail.

5. I will stop using “password” as my password

Why? In 2011, passwords such as “password”, “123456”, “qwerty” and “abc123” were still topping the most used passwords list*. Moreover, 67% of all mobile device users haven’t installed any password protection at all. A secure password can go a long way towards protecting your data.