Five Ways to Stay “Cyber Safe”
October 2023 marks the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the perfect time to improve our cybersecurity practices. Here are five simple ways you can stay “Cyber Safe”, at home or at the office.
Use strong passwords. Did you know the most common password of 2023 is 123456? Using simple, predictable passwords like this is never a good idea. The strongest passwords meet the following criteria: 12-15 characters, including numbers, special characters, and both lower and uppercase letters. If you struggle with remembering passwords, try using a third-party password manager or passphrases that are easy to remember, like “MyHorseIsBeautiful”. There are several free and pay-for-premium-features managers out there. They can automatically fill in password fields and many can securely synchronize between your devices, too, so you always have your passwords at your fingertips. Don’t keep them in a “notepad” on your devices.
Enable multifactor authentication across all accounts and devices. Multifactor authentication (MFA or 2FA) decreases the likelihood of a compromise by adding an additional form of authentication. So, if your password is hacked or stolen, the bad actor still has a hurdle to overcome to access your data. This is usually through a mobile device or email. Also, regularly used devices can usually be marked as “trusted”, so you don’t have to enter them every time.
Recognize phishing. You’ve likely received an email with urgent language and a myriad of typos and grammatical errors saying you need to “update your payment information," “Make a payment immediately,” “Your account has been charged,” or even “Thank you for your purchase.” Emails like this are typically phishing scams. Legitimate businesses will not email or text with a link to update your payment information. ALWAYS contact businesses directly and NOT through links sent in an email, no matter how convenient it may seem.
Stay protected while connected. Whatever the network device, the best defense against viruses and malware is to update to the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems. Sign up for or turn on automatic updates if possible and protect your devices with anti-virus software. Be aware that some apps have their own independent update processes.
Secure your devices against cyber threats. Computers, smartphones, TVs, thermostats, doorbells, smart lightbulbs - the list of internet-connected devices is ever-growing! Along with securing your modem, router, and Wi-Fi, log into and change the default passwords for these internet-connected devices so bad actors can’t use them against you.