b'!ateve the DAssociate Member NewsThe SHIELD sm The SHIELD sm aSfor Business OwnersEmpower Your Team to Help Prevent CyberattacksHuman error contributes to 82% of data breaches,Keep Credentials Confidential making your employees a crucial line of defense againstStress the importance of keeping login credentials cyber threats. 1A single mistake could expose your private. Ensure employees understand the dan-business to a data breach. This could lead to data loss,gers of sharing passwords, even internally.downtime, and a negative impact on your bottom line.Limit Use of External Devices Train Your Employees Require approval for use of external devices, and remind employees to avoid inserting unfamiliar to Help Prevent Cyber Threats USB drives. Use endpoint protection software toRecognize Phishing Red Flags help reduce these risks. Teach your team to spot suspicious emails byMandate Regular Updateslooking for signs of phishing, like generic greet- Keep systems, software, and devices up-to-date ings, misspellings or grammatical errors, or urgentby automating updates whenever possible.language asking for immediate action. ConsiderAdditionally, encourage employees to regularly using phishing simulations to train employees. back up data.Enforce Strong Password PoliciesLooking to learn more about common cyber threats and Encourage employees to use complex passwordshow to help prevent them to keep your business safe? and avoid reusing them across sites. ImplementReach out to your local Federated Insurance marketing multi-factor authentication for an added layer ofrepresentative today for more information.security.1.V erizon. 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report.Promote Safe Attachment Practiceshttps://www.verizon.com/business/resources/T159/reports/ Advise employees to only open attachments from2022-dbir-public-sector-snapshot.pdf. 2025.known, trusted sources. If in doubt, they should verify the senders identity before downloading.SWPMA News / Fall 202549'