With so much of our lives online nowadays, knowing the top cybersecurity tips significantly reduces the risk of fraud or falling victim to a cyber attack. From phishing to malware, those attempting to steal your private data or gain access to your personal assets have more methods than ever to do so.
While October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, keep these tips on hand throughout the year to ensure you follow best practices.
Keep all software on internet-connected devices–including personal computers, smartphones, and tablets–up to date to reduce the risk of infection from ransomware and malware. Configure your devices to update automatically or to notify you when an update is available
A strong password is at least 12 characters long and includes a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. When in doubt, lean toward making your password longer rather than more complicated. Avoid using personal information, such as an address, dog’s name, or spouse’s name, which a hacker
may be able to learn through research. Finally, avoid reusing passwords across different accounts.
The best way to manage unique passwords is through a password manager application. A password manager is software created to manage all your online credentials like usernames and passwords. All passwords are stored in one place, and the application helps generate new passwords when adding new online accounts.
Many institutions will ask if you want to add 2-factor or multi-factor authentication (MFA) when logging on. Say yes, especially when it involves financial information. Types of MFA can include:
This is a time-tested cybersecurity tip that prevents fraud from the start. Links in emails, tweets, texts, posts, social media messages, and online advertising are the easiest way for cybercriminals to get sensitive information. Think before clicking on links or downloading anything that comes from a stranger or that you were not expecting.
If you’re at the office and the phishing email came to your work email address, report it to your IT manager or cybersecurity officer as quickly as possible. If the email came to your personal email address, do not click on any links (even the unsubscribe link) or reply back to the email and just delete it. An additional step may include blocking the sending address from your email program, too.
See below for some common signs of a phishing attempt.
Public wireless networks and public hotspots are not secure, which means that anyone could potentially see what you are doing on your laptop or smartphone while you are connected to them. Limit what you do on public Wi-Fi, and avoid logging in to key accounts like email and financial services. Consider using a virtual private network (VPN) or a personal/mobile hotspot for a more secure connection.
Protect your valuable work, music, photos, and other digital information by making an electronic copy and storing it safely. If you have a copy of your data and your device falls victim to ransomware or other cyber threats, you will be able to restore the data from a backup. Use the 3-2-1 rule as a guide to
backing up your data. The rule is: keep at least three (3) copies of your data, and store two (2) back up copies on different storage media, with one (1) of them located offsite.
Think before posting about yourself and others online. Consider what a post reveals, who might see it, and how it might affect you or others. In particular, posts that show you and your family away on vacation or celebrating milestone birthdays reveal a lot to the general public.
Looking for additional information on these cybersecurity tips? Access our on-demand webinar.
With the rise of AI technology, many of us are using these tools to help with our personal and professional lives. However, you should never share your personal, identifiable information with these learning models. Once the information is out there, there’s no way to get it back and others could easily find it by using the same tools.
The signs can be subtle, but once you recognize a phishing attempt, you can avoid falling for it. Here are some quick tips on how to clearly spot a phishing email:
When you receive a suspected phishing email, call the sender using an independent source to get the phone number needed to confirm the email you received is authentic. Do not respond to the email or call the phone number on the email because if the email account has been compromised, the bad actor can impersonate the sender.
Even after taking proper precautions, new scams and more sophisticated malicious software continue to trip us up. What does it mean for your data and device if it becomes infected with a virus, and what damage can it do?
A computer virus interferes with the performance of your device by replicating itself and spreading throughout the operating system. A virus can damage programs, delete files, and reformat or erase your hard drive, which results in reduced performance or even crashing your system entirely. Hackers can
also use viruses to access your personal information to steal or destroy your data.
If you notice any of the following issues with your computer, it may be infected with a virus:
Even as time goes on, the risk of falling pretty to a cyberattack remains high. But by following these cybersecurity tips, you can safeguard your online profiles and financial information. Our team of professionals is here to help if you have any questions. Contact us today for more information.