Cyber breaches of everything from election emails to smart household appliances, new toys and retail giants were rampant in 2016, and affected millions of people.
There could be more of the same ahead this year.
What steps can you take to be safer and more secure online?
The National Cyber Security Alliance, the nation’s leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting the safe and secure use of the Internet and digital privacy, is recommending these five tips: (showcased in this video: http://bit.ly/2i5RWfe).
- Lock down your login: Your usernames and passwords are not enough to protect key accounts like email, banking and social media. Fortify your online accounts by enabling the strongest authentication tools available, such as biometrics, security keys or a unique one-time code through an app on your mobile device.
- Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it: Just as you promise to keep a keen eye on your finances in this coming year, do the same with your personal information. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected by apps and websites.
- Own your online: Set the privacy and security settings on websites and apps to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s OK to limit how and with whom you share information.
- Maintain the cybersecurity of your Internet of Things (IoT) devices: Connected devices like video cameras, wearables and fitness trackers are becoming extremely popular. In order to function properly, they collect personal data about their users. It is critical to make sure that the devices connect to a secure router and you understand the process for keeping these IoT devices secure over time.
- Do a digital cleanse: A good, thorough cleaning always helps to get the New Year off to a fresh start. Tend to your digital records, PCs, phones and any device with storage just as you do for paper files. Here are some easy steps to get you started:
- Clean up your email: Save only those emails you really need and unsubscribe to email you no longer need/want to receive.
- File upkeep: Delete or archive older files such as numerous drafts of the same document and outdated financial statements.