The internet is an incredible resource, with vast amounts of information at your very fingertips. But it’s widespread availability and intrinsic value to users makes it a key target for criminals. In order to stay safe online, there are a few lessons everyone should know. Here are the most important things you need to know about internet safety.
Protect Your Devices
Keeping your computer, your mobile phone, and your tablet clean of malware, spam, and hacking attacks can seem like a daunting task. You never know where the next computer virus will connect to your machine. It could be through a coworker’s email, a seemingly innocuous website, or even through your own home network. Here’s what you need to know to keep your devices safe.
Malware and botnets are particularly common issues which can impact your security and the health of your machine. Viruses, spyware, or other harmful computer programs, can be transmitted through email or through downloading untrustworthy files. In order to protect yourself be sure to keep your security software current, protect all devices that connect to the internet, scan USB and other external devices for viruses or malware, and if you are ever in doubt of the safety or legitimacy of an email or a link, just delete it. If it looks suspicious, it probably is not worth the risk.
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Protect Your Password
It seems all too easy to become the victim of a cybercrime, hacked accounts, or lost files. Luckily there are some important things you should keep in mind to avoid these situations. First of all, be aware of how you are using your passwords and securing multiple accounts. If you are one of the many who use the same password across all your digital accounts, you are putting yourself at risk because once one account is breached all the others are vulnerable as well.
You can also make your password more secure by turning it into a pass phrase or sentence. Longer passwords are substantially more difficult to guess or hack than the average 6-character password. You can further secure your account by turning on two-step authentication (where this feature is available). This multi-factor authentication process can use anything from a text message, to an alert on an app, or a biometric reading like a fingerprint to prove your identity prior to accessing valuable information.
Protect Your Identity
ID theft and digital fraud are increasingly common in our digital economy. If you find yourself to be the victim of this cyber crime, here’s what you need to do in order to respond efficiently. First, do everything you can to prevent being a victim. Second, report all cybercrime even if the incident seems difficult to investigate and prosecute. Every piece of information that you provide can help law enforcement track down and bring cyber criminals to justice. Third, make sure you change your passwords for all online accounts following a breach. Close any unauthorized credit or bank accounts. Get new credit cards and report fraudulent charges immediately. Keep in mind others who might also be at risk, and do what you can to make identity theft less of a so-called “victimless” crime.
If you are concerned with your cyber security, have you given any thought to the security of your digital files? If you or your business don’t have the resources you need to keep your data and files safe, call our team of records management professionals for a proposal of how Happy Faces Records Management can secure your most important documents.
