October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here are some helpful tips for keeping yourself safe online.
- Get creative with your passwords. Don't use common ones like your birth year or your birth date. Use multiple types of characters, from uppercase and lowercase letters to symbols and numbers. The longer the password the better!
- Don't use the same password more than once. If a hacker gets a hold of your one password, they now have access to all of your accounts.
- Use security and privacy settings on social media accounts. Be aware of what setting you are on – for example: can only your friends see your posts, or is your whole account visible to the public? Remember, if your information is set to public anyone, even cyber-criminals, can see your personal information.
- Think before you post. Take a moment to think about how others may interpret what you are posting and whether you are okay with it being accessible to many people online.
- Don't forward or open suspicious emails. If you don't recognize the sender or see something strange, it may be a spam attack or phishing attack.
- Never leave your open devices unattended. You should always set up a password on your mobile device, computer or tablet. Remember to keep your devices on your person, or lock them before placing them down.
- Watch where you shop online. Be aware of what sites you are clicking through to. Check to be sure they are a reputable website before providing any personal or financial information to make a purchase.
- Install anti-virus software and be sure to keep it up to date.
