It seems like daily headlines are populated with tales of cyber criminals, online scams, identity theft or system outages. This can make us feel unsafe and stressed, but learning about cybersecurity can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve just forgotten your email password… again.
We’re here to help with four practical, easy tips for updating your online armor. By making some small changes to your daily online usage, you can better protect yourself against cyber thieves and other digital ne’er-do-wells.
1. Spot and Report Phishing
Phishing is an unsolicited message or email that often asks for personal information or mimics something that you trust, like your bank or a relative. The Federal Trade Commission reported that these imposter scams were the most common scam of 2023.
Phishing messages may display unusual urgency, will ask you to send your information, or may feature odd or misspelled words or URLs. These links will often redirect you to visit a fake version of a trusted website.
As a best practice, if you receive an email from someone that seems ‘phishy,’ go directly to the site you normally use and conduct your business there. Do not click any links in the ‘phishy’ email, including an “unsubscribe” button.
Most email providers will have a “report spam” button that you can click from the toolbar of your email program so that these scammers can be stopped.
2. Create Complex Passwords
Many folks have heard that changing your password regularly is the most important step in having a secure password… but it is actually more important to have a good password.
Hackers use a technique usually referred to as “brute force attacks” against passwords. This means they use a bunch of computing power to crack the code on a password, and the easier the password, the less time it takes to do this. For example, a seven-character password can generally be cracked in two seconds, whereas a 13-character combination of numbers, upper and lowercase letters, and symbols, will take approximately 15 years to crack.
These passwords are understandably difficult for you to remember, but with a password manager, you don’t have to. Security experts recommend using a password manager to store all of your complex passwords, so you don’t have to rely on memorization. For the latest reviews on the different password managers, check out Consumer Reports with your Canton Public Library card.
3. Turn On Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor authentication, or MFA (also called 2FA), provides an added layer of security for your online identity. Most email programs, banks and shopping sites will have an option to enable MFA. This can feel like a hassle, but is nothing compared to the hassle of dealing with identity theft.
When you turn on MFA, the program or website will ask you for your username and password, as usual. Once that is confirmed, it will often send a code or a text to a device you physically have with you, like your phone. This prevents someone from another part of the world who may have stolen your password from getting into your account from afar.
4. Stay Up to Date
Make sure your software, phone operating systems, web browsers, and more, are updated to their latest versions. Software companies regularly release bug and security fixes that can prevent hackers from getting access to your system and information. Automatic updates are a great way to do this; find the setting in your phone or device and make sure it is turned on.
There you have it: four easy and practical ways to be a little more cybersecure this year. If you’d like help implementing these changes, consider asking a librarian or signing up for one-on-one tech help.
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