4 Ways to Stay Safe Online

 We can increase our online safety through four simple actions, and whether at home, work, or school, these tips make us more secure when connected.

 

1. Recognize & Report Phishing

-Recognize. Look for these common signs:

  • Urgent or emotionally appealing language, especially messages that claim to have consequences if not responded to immediately.
  • Requests to send personal and financial information
  • Untrusted shortened URLs
  • Incorrect email addresses or links

-Resist

If you suspect phishing, resist the temptation to click on links or attachments that seem too good to be true. Instead, report the phish to protect yourself and others.

-Delete

Delete the message. Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including any “unsubscribe” link. Just delete.

 

2. Use Strong Passwords

-Make them long: At least 16 characters—longer is stronger!

-Make them random. Two ways to do this are:

Use a random string of mixed-case letters, numbers and symbols.

  • cXmnZK65rf*&DaaD

Another option is to create a memorable phrase of 4 – 7 unrelated words. This is called a “passphrase.”

  • Horse Purple Hat Run Bay Lifting

Note: You can use spaces if you prefer!

-Make them unique. Use a different strong password for each account.

 

3. Enable MFA to Stay Safe

-Look for and turn on MFA in Settings

-It may be called two-factor authentication, two-step authentication or similar.

-Select which MFA method to use from the options provided by each account or app.

  • Receiving a numeric code by text or email
  • Using an authenticator app: These phone apps generate a new code every 30 seconds. Use this code to complete logging in.
  • Biometrics: This uses our facial recognition or fingerprints to confirm our identities.

 

4. Update Software

-Watch for notifications.

It’s important to install ALL updates, especially for our web browsers and antivirus software.

-Install updates as soon as possible.

When notified about software updates, especially critical updates, we should be sure to install them as soon as possible. Malicious online criminals won’t wait, so we shouldn’t either!

-Turn on automatic updates.

With automatic updates, our devices will install updates without any input from us as soon as the update is available—Easy!