The New Year often brings about a renewed sense of awareness and focus. This year, let’s stay focused on protecting ourselves by resolving to stay alert, stay careful and informed about our cyber security.
Here are some resolutions that’ll help you do just that.
Lock your work life down
Whether your organization is remote, hybrid or in -office full-time, you need to know how to stay secure in your work environment.
If you’re working from home, ensure your home network is secure by changing the default Wi-Fi password to something strong and unique and place your router to a central area in your home, away from exterior walls and windows to limit access to your network from outside.
If you’re in the office, make a resolution to double-check your desk for any cyber security faux pas. Change undesirable habits like having passwords written on sticky notes at your desk, silencing overdue updates for your devices and using Bluetooth settings that are on but not being used.
Be mindful of your posts
Now that the holiday season is over, it’s time to focus on privacy. Online shopping can be a fun activity and you may have done a lot of it leading into the holidays. But it also means giving up valuable information, like your credit card number and home address, in exchange for the convenience of having packages delivered right to your door. While you continue to make online purchases this year, makes sure you’re shopping from a trustworthy store and make sure not to save personal or sensitive information in your store account or browser. Your information could fall into the wrong hands if your device gets lost or stolen.
The start of a new year is a good time to think carefully about the information you post online. Posting seemingly innocent personal information on social media, like your pets’ names, your birthday or photos with details like your house number in the background, could give someone the clues they need to access your accounts by guessing your password or the answers to your security questions. You should also be careful about answering quizzes that pop up on social media or elsewhere online. Though they might seem fun and harmless, they could be used to collect information about you to hack your accounts.
Help your family stay secure
Your home network is only as secure as the people connected to it. Take some time this year to help your kids, spouse, roommates, visitors and neighbours stay safe online.
Visit our resources page throughout the year to get infographics, videos and downloads suitable for a range of ages. Talk to the kids and older adults in your family about their online activities and make sure they know how to spot the red flags of phishing messages and know what to do if they suspect they received one. Plus, follow Get Cyber Safe on social media to keep an eye out for upcoming content you can share with the members of your family.
Conclusion
Making a commitment to stay cyber safe this New Year may seem like a challenge, so take it in easy steps. Focus on what you can do to protect yourself in small, everyday actions, like changing your Wi-Fi password to something strong and unique or adjusting your privacy settings on social media. Even if your resolution isn’t on this list, as long as you’re doing your best to stay cyber safe, you’re doing great!