It’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

It’s National Cyber Security Awareness month, and we will be blogging all month tips and advice for you to stay safe on your computers, mobile devices, and on the internet!

Technological devices and the internet play an integral role in all aspects of our lives today-our jobs, personal lives, and social lives. With all the advances that are being made on a daily basis, there are risks that need to be considered. This week, we are focusing on protecting what matters to you!

Passwords

Passwords protect just about everything we do on our computers and online. When choosing your password, there are a few things you should remember to ensure it is protecting other from accessing your information:

  1. Make sure it has at least eight characters
  2. Mix upper and lowercase letters
  3. Mix numbers and symbols
  4. Change your password several times a year
  5. Never share your password with others
  6. Have a different password for each online account
  7. Make sure your password is unique and cannot be easily guessed

Online Shopping

Shopping online is a great convenience and many people enjoy making purchases from the comfort of their couch rather than visiting the actual store. Prior to online shopping, make sure to consider:

  • Is your computer safe and secure? Make sure your machine is clean to make sure it is not infected with viruses or spyware that may be waiting for you to enter your personal information so it can snatch it right up.
  • Be smart about where you shop-make sure you make your purchase from a site with a padlock on your web browser’s address bar or a URL address that begins with shttp or https.  These indicate the purchase is encrypted or secured. Http:// is not secure.
  • Only use a secure network to shop online. This means that you should not be purchasing items on a wifi network that is insecure (think coffee shops, restaurants, other public places with wifi).
  • Always keep track of the details of your online purchases including confirmation numbers, dates, etc. and always check your credit report to make sure there are no unauthorized purchases.

If you have any questions or simply want to learn more about protecting your information online, feel free to contact us, or check out http://www.staysafeonline.org/.

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