Keep Your Online Data Safe With These Cybersecurity Tips

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month so now is a good time to review safe cyber practices to protect personal information.

Due to recent advances and increased accessibility, technology remains an integral part of daily life.

Individuals are usually on their internet-connected phones, work on a computer, or otherwise expose themselves to the online world on a daily basis.

Although the increased accessibility of the internet is providing new resources and information, it may also expose sensitive information to threats. In recent years, this has been exemplified by the repeated data breaches plaguing businesses.

One notable attack was the massive Equifax data breach which affected around 150 million consumers. The breach, which was announced in September 2017, allowed hackers to steal names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, email addresses, credit card numbers and driver’s license numbers.

This breach, which put millions of consumers at risk for identity theft, was a dramatic example of what can happen when cybersecurity is compromised.

However, smaller data breaches are occurring more often than one might assume. From August 2016 to February 2017, information was compromised at GameStop, a popular video game retailer. The breach affected an estimated 1.3 million credit and debit card numbers belonging to the store’s consumers.

For six months in 2017, a Delta data breach compromised the personal identifying information of airline consumers without the airline’s knowledge.

More recently, Facebook announced that 50 million user accounts were breached in a cyber attack, making it the largest data breach in Facebook’s history. The breach compromised seemingly unimportant information, but the data stolen in the breach can be used to crack security questions, create fake accounts, and effectively scam users and their friends.

Although hackers will try to steal data regardless of cybersecurity measures, some consumers argue that businesses are not taking the proper precautions to protect consumer information.

There are a variety of practices you can adopt to protect yourselves and your family against cyber attacks and breaches of information. These cyber safety practices include:

• Manage technology resources: promote online health for your family by managing technology resources and creating a strategy for safe cyber conduct.
• Review consequences with your family members: when everyone in the family understands the consequences of unsafe cyber actions, they may be less likely to engage in unsafe behavior which may jeopardize the family’s cybersecurity.
• Use common sense: when an advertisement or email seems to good to be true, it probably is. Exercise caution when installing apps, clicking on links, and entering passwords or other private information.
• Fortify accounts: using multi-factor authentication and other authentication tools can help prevent fraudulent access to accounts. Using strong passwords which vary for each account can also help protect your accounts.
• Seek out resources: the Better Business Bureau has compiled a list of useful resources for your home which may help you and your family get educated and protected.
• Stay updated: keeping software updated on your computers, smartphones, and tablets can ensure that all apps, including virus protection, run optimally.
• Control your online presence: be cautious of what information you post online through social media. Information on social media is not secure, even with strict privacy settings, and your information may be used maliciously.

Although different sources will recommend varying strategies for protecting against cyber attacks, the core advice often remains the same: being mindful and cautious can protect your information against potential breaches.