Our smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and tablets are a vital part of our everyday lives. Not only do they keep us connected to others, they help with scheduling, entertain us and, most importantly, they contain our personal information and data.
As hackers and malicious actors become smarter and more technologically advanced, it's important to learn how to protect our devices so we can protect ourselves.
Lock your device
Ensure your device is properly locked when you aren’t using it. For laptops and tablets with multiple accounts, make sure appropriate permissions are assigned and each user has a password lock. For mobile phones, enable a passcode or PIN. Even better, use biometric verification like fingerprint scanning.
Use strong passcodes
- It's generally rule of thumb not to use the same password across multiple accounts, but do consider changing them often and using a password generator.
- Think of using a passPHRASE versus a passWORD. Phrases are more difficult to crack!
- Avoid using names, birthdays, phone numbers, or other personal information when creating a password.
- Don't keep them in plain sight! Use a password manager to maintain your account credentials and don’t write them down where someone can easily find them.
Keep your device updated and secure
The first step in keeping your device protected? Make sure to install updates and security patches regularly. If you have trouble remembering, change your settings to automatically update!
Stay away from risky business!
- If you receive a security alert when attempting to visit a website, take it seriously! Think twice about visiting sites with compromised security.
- Don't click on unknown links or download suspicious attachments. Make sure to scan attachments for viruses!
- Take a look at some of these common scams affecting online security to familiarize yourself with how fraudsters try to scam you on the internet.
Check out our Money Matters Blog for more cybersecurity articles and tips to keep you and your accounts safe!