Not one week passes without news of data breaches and confidential client data leaking. A lot of responsibility is left with the sole user, which makes groups like children, elderly people and language minorities especially vulnerable and exposed. This is why we decided to speak to Helinä Turunen who is an Information Security Specialist at The National Cyber Security Centre. She paints a reassuring picture that a lot is already done to keep citizens safe but there are also areas, which we should be vigilant about.

The Top 5 key takeaways from her story:

1. Myth busted: cybersecurity superheroes do not have to be excellent programmers. There you have it!
2. Overarching mantra: have a strong enough password, preferably store it in a password manager with a strong master password, make sure you have all your devices updated to the latest operating system or security standards, and ensure that you don´t share private information (name, home location, social security number, etc.) as hackers can build a profile of you.
3. Reduce the number of applications, the number of devices, and the number of access points you connect to. It will increase your level of safety and decrease the possibility of being a target for cybercriminals
4. Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZtVsEsqjNs and see for yourself how Team Whack is hacking the site of a social media influencer without her knowing about it. Bottom line: you will never know when your security has been compromised.
5. Many countries in Europe have cybersecurity strategies and cybercrime units, which try to protect their citizens.
   Individuals and/or organizations can share suspicious information without having to fear exposure.

Ways to connect:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hturunen/, Twitter: HelinaT

Accounts to follow:
Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypponen/)