Be Cyber Smart
Make Cybersecurity a priority every day. Advice from staysafeonline.com: Keep cybersecurity at the forefront of your mind as you connect daily. Before purchasing a device or online product, do your research. When you set up a new device or app, consider your security and privacy settings and update default passwords. Cybersecurity should not be an afterthought.
Learn more about Cybersecurity and staying safe online:
Password Security
Make passwords long and strong: Combine capital and lowercase letters with numbers and special characters to create a more secure password. Change any default passwords on your mobile device to ones that would be difficult for someone to guess.
What makes a Good Password?: To start, your password should be at least 8 characters long, with at least one capital letter, one number, and one special character (“@”, or “%”, etc…).
As an added layer of security, change your passwords on a regular basis to ensure that you stay ahead of the hackers.
Remember, the best passwords contain as much randomness as possible – using unlikely combinations and random characters is a great strategy. Be creative!
Bad: Fuzzydog82
Better: %FuZZyD0G#8254!
Best: myFuzzyDog-eats4bones!Aday-
It’s important to remember that you should not use the same password for multiple accounts – no matter how strong it is – because if one account gets compromised, then they’re all compromised.
Unique account, unique password: Use different passwords for different programs and devices to thwart cybercriminals. Do not choose options that allow your device to remember your passwords.
Use Password manager: Everyone can forget a password. Use a password manager tool (i.e…lastpass.com) to help organize your passwords.
Get Two Steps Ahead: : Turn on two-factor authentication – on accounts where available. Two-factor authentication can use anything from a text message to your phone to a token to a biometric like your fingerprint to provide enhanced account security
Phishing
What is Phishing? Phishing is a type of online scam designed to steal an individual or organization’s sensitive information such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal information.
Think before you click! Review the signs of Phishing below:
Urgency: Urges you to act quickly because your account may be suspended or closed.
Generic Greeting: Doesn’t address you by name, but uses a generic greeting like “Dear valued customer.”
Validate or Update Information: Asks for account numbers, passwords or other personal information.
Includes Errors: Contains misspellings or grammatical errors.
Unusual Content: Is from someone you know, but includes a strange subject line or unusual attachments.
Unknown Link: Contains links to unknown or suspicious websites.
Plausible Sender: Claim to be from your military service, government organization, Internet service provider or bank.
Fake Website: Direct you to a Website that looks real.
