Every year we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, however, this year it seems more important than ever. Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, so take it upon yourself to learn how to proactively protect yourself and your loved ones online. With that, here are some cybersecurity tips to help you out this month, and every other month.
Check Your Privacy (and Security) Settings
Take a visit to your device’s settings and ensure your privacy and security settings are up to date and in line with your personal security requirements. It’s a good idea to also check up on your social media privacy settings to control who can see your posts and interact with you online.
Authenticate Multiple Times
Multi-factor authentication can be a lifesaving (and data-saving) tool. Consider setting up two-factor or multi-factor authentication for all your online accounts. It is recommended that your email account receives special attention, as most of our online lives are connected to our email addresses. It may seem tedious having to go through an additional step in the log-in process, but it will protect you and your sensitive data in the long run.
Update Your Passwords
Data breaches often leak user information, including usernames and passwords. This can be especially damaging if you tend to use the same password over multiple accounts. You can protect your accounts by using a password manager. Yes, it may take a while to set up, but you essentially only need one “master password” to be able to access all your account passwords. Password managers can randomly generate passwords for maximum security, which are stored in your password manager. It’s also recommended to change your passwords every few months just in case a data breach may have leaked your information.
Take it Slow
We all have things to do, so spending extra time on checking content can sound redundant, but simply spending a few extra seconds to think before opening an email or clicking on an unknown link could be the difference between a narrow escape and a total data breach nightmare.
Keep the Conversation Going
October shouldn’t be the only time that people take an interest in securing their data. The conversation around cybersecurity should be a year-round thing. Make cybersecurity a habit and encourage others to do the same. No matter how well protected you are, no one is immune to cyberattacks. All we can do is try to educate others and prevent digital disasters before they happen.