As we begin 2025, the excitement of a new year and fresh start fills the air. It is the perfect time for us to set goals for 2025 that will make this year fantastic. However, we tend to set goals that are unrealistic and unattainable which usually leads to the feeling of despair. But have no fear because we have the solution! Set cybersecurity goals for 2025 instead. It may sound like more effort than the normal “lose 20kgs by the end of January” type goals, but it doesn’t have to be. We have a plan to help you. So, if you’re ready… let’s get started.
Why you need cybersecurity goals
Goals give us direction and something to achieve. It keeps us motivated, gives us a sense of purpose, and helps us focus our energy on the things that really matter to us. Cybersecurity needs to be one of the things that matters to you.
Every time you go online, you’re leaving digital footprints that could open the door for shady characters to target you. Think about your passwords, your photos, your banking info – all of which could result in a lot of damage.
Setting cybersecurity goals is a form of self-care because you are taking steps to protect yourself online. You wouldn’t leave the front door unlocked when you’re not home so why would you leave your accounts exposed when you’re online? Let’s take care of ourselves by looking after our online activity. Not sure how to start? We have you covered. Let’s look at your five cybersecurity goals for the year.
5 Cybersecurity goals for the year (that you can definitely achieve)
The purpose of these goals is to start small. If you have the basics covered, then you’re already well on your way to being secure. The following goals are the basics that are most important to get right.
1. Improve your passwords
If your password is still “123456” or “Password123”, we need to talk. Using weak passwords is like handing your account over to hackers on a neon sign with sparkles.
Your goal is to ensure that you are only using strong, unique passwords. These are passwords that are hard to guess and use uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. And don’t reuse passwords for different accounts.
2. Enable multifactor authentication (MFA)
I understand that MFA can be annoying – no one really wants to confirm that they just tried to login to their account. But what if you weren’t the one logging in?
Your goal is to ensure that you have MFA enabled on any account that has it as an option. It adds an extra layer of security to your account to keep it safe, making it harder for hackers to gain access even when they have your password.
3. Update your software
Ah yes, those wonderful pop-ups that appear at the most inopportune time. Their sole purpose is not to interrupt your YouTube binge – they are there to close any security holes that may be used to attack you.
Your goal is to stop ignoring updates and ensure that you perform the updates as soon as possible. Better yet, enable automatic updates to ensure it gets done regularly.
4. Back up your data
Imagine spilling coffee on your laptop and losing all your photos and documents. Or your phone crashes and you can’t recover anything from it. Worse yet, you get hit by ransomware and everything is encrypted. That would be an absolute nightmare. However, having backups can make it easier.
Your goal is to ensure that you back up any important information, either to cloud storage or to an external hard drive. You can even set the backups to occur automatically so that you always have the most recent files safe and ready to restore.
5. Learn to spot the phish
Phishing emails are everywhere – everyone gets one at some point in time. These emails often look like they’re from a legitimate company making it harder to detect. They’re also still the easiest method used by hackers to access your account.
Your goal is to ensure that you can easily identify phishing emails and spot the red flags. Knowing what to look for reduces your chances of becoming the next victim of a scam.
Bonus tip: Share your goals
Sometimes, the best way to achieve your goals is to let others know about it so they can hold you accountable. Tell your family or friends about your intention to achieve these goals, and perhaps they will want to join you too. When it comes to being safe online, it’s always more fun when you’re learning and growing together.
Make cybersecurity a habit
Staying safe online and being security-conscious does not have to be complicated. Use these five goals as a starting point to improve your personal cybersecurity. At some point, these goals will become habits, and you will automatically apply them without giving it much thought.
Here’s to a safe and stress-free year online. Be secure!
