7 Tips to Be Cyber Smart Throughout the Year

It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It’s a good time to take inventory of your organization’s cyber smarts, to see what you can do to reduce cyber attacks and data breaches. How can your organization empower customers, members, and stakeholders to reduce their cybersecurity risks and protect themselves online? Together, we can all be cyber smarter in October and throughout the year. Heavy hitters, including the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have teamed up to help organizations and individuals #becybersmart. The goal is to encourage “individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part in cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity.”

Consider these stats from DHS:

• 600,000 Facebook accounts are hacked every single day
• 47% of American adults have had their personal information exposed by cyber criminals
• 1 in 3 homes with computers are infected with malicious software

CISA shares 7 tips and best practices to encourage stronger, nationwide cybersecurity. These serve as a good refresher for your employees or members:

1. Double your login protection. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts and devices to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. Use MFA for email, banking, social media, and any other service that requires logging in. Enable MFA by using a trusted mobile device, such as your smartphone, an authenticator app, or a secure token.
2. Shake up your password protocol. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidance, consider using the longest password or passphrase permissible. Get creative and customize your standard password for different sites, which can prevent cyber criminals from gaining access to these accounts and protect you in the event of a breach. Consider using password managers to generate and remember different, complex passwords for each of your accounts. Read The Truth About Password Managers.
3. If you connect, you must protect. Whether it’s your computer, smartphone, game device, or other network devices, the best defense against viruses and malware is to update to the latest security software, web browser, and operating systems. Sign up for automatic updates, if you can, and protect your devices with anti-virus software. If you do find you have downloaded malware, read What Now? What to Do If You’ve Downloaded Malware for steps to take.
4. Play hard to get with strangers. Cyber criminals use phishing tactics, hoping to fool their victims. If you’re unsure who an email is from or if the email looks phishy — even if the details appear accurate — do not respond and do not click on any links or attachments found in that email. When available, use the “report phish” or “report” option to help your organization or email provider block other suspicious emails before they arrive in your inbox.
5. Never click and tell. Limit what information you post on social media including your personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee. These seemingly random details are all criminals need to know to target you, your loved ones, and your physical belongings, both online and in the real world. Did you know that for $20, a criminal can instantly get enough personal information to invade your privacy or steal your identity? Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, address, birthday, and even vacation plans. Disable location services that allow anyone to see where you are — and where you aren’t — at any given time. IDX offers tools to help protect users’ privacy: IDX Privacy has ForgetMe technology, to remove your personal data from public information sites.
6. Keep tabs on your apps. Most connected appliances, toys, and devices are supported by a mobile application. Your mobile device could be filled with suspicious apps running in the background or using default permissions you never realized you approved — gathering your personal information without your knowledge while also putting your identity and privacy at risk. Check your app permissions and use the “rule of least privilege” to delete what you don’t need or no longer use. Learn to just say “no” to privilege requests that don’t make sense. Only download apps from trusted vendors and sources.
7. Stay protected while connected. Before you connect to any public wireless hotspot — at an airport, hotel, or café — be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login procedures with appropriate staff to ensure that the network is legitimate. If you do use an unsecured public access point, practice good internet hygiene by avoiding sensitive activities (such as banking) that require passwords or credit cards. Your personal hotspot is often a safer alternative to free Wi-Fi. Only use sites that begin with “https://” when online shopping or banking. The safest way is using a VPN when you use any public Wi-Fi.

Are You Cyber Smart?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is responsible for counterterrorism, aviation security, border security, port security, protection of critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and detection of and protection against chemical, biological and nuclear threats to the homeland. So, if it is cautioning individuals to take cyber precautions, it might be time to heed the warnings! The DHS poses these questions;

• How secure are your social privacy settings?
• How strong is your cybersecurity protection?
• Are you sharing too much information online?
• Are your mobile settings leaving you vulnerable?

If you’re unsure how to answer these questions, we’re here to help and to protect you and all of your private data with the leading digital privacy protection platform, this month and every month. When it comes to reducing privacy exposure and minimizing cyber risks across the organization, there’s always time to learn something new and put a few prevention tips into practice — for yourself, your employees, your members, and your customers. Here’s to being cyber smarter all around!