Elon Technology Blog

Cybersecurity 101: 5 Quick Tips For Staying Safe Online

To kick off National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we’re sharing five simple tips for keeping your personal information safe from cyber attacks. While you may feel that you’re not at risk for a cyber attack, keep in mind that over 1.9 billion data records have been hacked during global cyber attacks in just the first half of 2017. It’s even possible that your information has been hacked without your knowledge. Luckily, there are several ways to protect yourself from the threat of cyber attacks.

Here are 5 tips for staying safe on the web:

1. Create secure passwords

   • Want to create a secure password and, most importantly, remember it? Check out LastPass, a password manager that will help you create strong passwords and remember them for you! Test your password strength and find out how secure your password is here!

2. Lock your devices

   • Lock all of your devices with passcodes to keep intruders out. Even if your device is stolen, a passcode will stop the thief from accessing your personal photos, emails, data, and more.

3. Look out for email scams

   • To avoid phishing scams and increase your email safety and security, don’t open attachments or links from senders you don’t know. Rule of thumb: If you’re not expecting an email or attachment from a sender, simply don’t open it.

4. Keep personal information personal

   • Just like in real life, there’s such a thing a sharing too much information. Don’t post sensitive information to social media, such as your phone number or where you live. Also, be sure not to share private information over an unsecure public network, such as credit card information or bank logins.

5. Backup your information regularly

   • Be sure to backup your data, contacts, files, photos, etc. in case your device is lost or stolen. Learn how to backup an Apple device here, or an Android here.

Beyond having a large scale impact on major corporations and databases, cyber attacks can impact our daily lives as well. Hackers can tap into emails with personal information, bank accounts, social media, and much more. Make sure to follow these quick tips and do your part in protecting your devices from viruses and hackers. To learn more, read next week’s article on cybersecurity in the workplace and follow #ElonSecure on Twitter!

 

 

 

 

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