Top 10 Tips to #StaySafeOnline

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and SESLOC’s Chief Information Officer Ken Long is sharing his top 10 tips to help you protect your identity online:

1. Use strong, complex passwords and change them often. Experts recommend passwords that are at least 8 characters long and include numbers, special characters, and a mix of upper and lower cases. Avoid personal, public information and words that can be found in a dictionary — cybercriminals can crack these easily.
2. Never leave tech devices unattended. Whether it’s your phone or your desktop, set a password and always lock it when you step away.
3. Sign up for eStatements in Online Banking. Mailed documents can put you at risk from dumpster divers with criminal intent.
4. Beware of suspicious emails and phone calls. Avoid visiting unknown websites or downloading software from untrusted sources.
5. Encrypt sensitive data off of your workstation, laptop, or mobile devices and shred paper documents. Some examples of sensitive data include anything with a Social Security Number, credit card information, student records, health information, etc.
6. Be Wi-Fi savvy. Password protect and encrypt your Wi-Fi connection at home, and be careful about what information you access when using a public network.
7. Check your privacy settings. Be sure to optimize the privacy settings on all of your mobile apps and accounts online.
8. Keep your software up to date. All those update notifications might be annoying, but cybercriminals release new threats every day and updates are essential to your security.
9. Think twice before clicking. Cybercriminals use links, ads, websites, attachments, and downloads to get your information.
10. Talk with your family. Make sure everyone in your family understands how to #StaySafeOnline — kids and seniors can be especially vulnerable to cybercrime.

Interested in more ways to protect yourself online? Check out these handy tips for using Online Banking and learn what SESLOC is doing to protect your information.