Stay safe with your devices and while going online by using these cyber tips of the month! Practicing good habits with your devices and your activity online is crucial to keeping you and your information safe, along with others who might be connected to you in some way. Use these tips to put your best foot forward while navigating the digital world!
Don’t click on links without thinking; make sure to inspect links and know they are from a trusted source before clicking, since malicious links can do damage in many different ways to your devices.
Be sure to connect securely when connecting to different networks. Unsecured connections can have negative consequences, so only connect to private networks when you can, especially if you’ll be handling some private and sensitive information.
Make sure your mobile device is secure! A lot of us hold private information on these devices and bring them with us everywhere, so it is important that they are protected from others. A few protective measures to put in place include a strong password, turning off automatic connection to public Wi-Fi, turning your Bluetooth off, and downloading anything with caution.
Never leave your devices unattended! The security of your devices is not only important digitally, but also physically. Lock up any phones, laptops, or tablets so no one can access them. For desktops, lock them or shut them down completely when unattended.
Always be careful with what you plug into your computer. Never use something such as a USB drive if you don’t know where it came from, as it could potentially have malware on it.
Make sure that all of your online shopping is done safely! Don’t shop from a computer and a network that you don’t own, and make sure to be careful about which websites you shop at. It is also smart to make sure you are using a strong password, and that you aren’t saving your card’s details and information in an online account.
Keep your device clean! Regularly remove applications that you don’t use, making sure your device won’t have old, lingering apps that may provide vulnerabilities for criminals to use.
Make sure to use unique passwords for all of your different accounts and devices. The best and safest passwords are at least twelve to fifteen characters and have numbers, letters, and symbols in them. Avoid using common phrases to build your passwords, as well as any type of personal information.
Be careful with what you post online! Social media is a place where criminals can gather and learn a lot of information just from what you post. Consider what you put out there, and also consider who is able to see your page. You can always go in and change your privacy settings too!
Practice good habits online; what you do has the potential to impact others at work, at home, or even somewhere else around the world, so practicing good online habits benefits everyone.
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