Cyber threats are part of everyday life –
but taking small actions make a big difference.
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month – the annual reminder to protect yourself online and secure your devices and accounts from cyber threats.
Protecting yourself online doesn’t have to be hard. Here are simple actions that you, your family and friends can take to improve your cyber security:
1. Use a unique and strong passphrase on every account:
- Long – 15 or more characters
- Unpredictable – use 4 or more random words
- Unique – different for every account
- Use a password book or, better, a password manager so you don’t have to remember your passphrases and you can make them stronger.
2. Always set up multi-factor authentication (MFA, sometimes called 2FA or two-factor authentication) where it is available.
3. Install all software updates to keep your devices (phone, tablet, laptop, PC) secure.
4. Backup your data regularly.
Make cyber security an everyday habit. Just like buckling your seatbelt or locking your front door, cyber-safe behaviours protect your accounts and devices.
How do these actions help keep you safe?
These simple steps will help protect you against scams and data breaches, making it harder for the “baddies” to take over your accounts and steal your money – or worse – your identity!
Scammers use all types of sneaky tactics to trick you but knowing what to look out for can help you spot the signs. If you would like to know more about how to avoid being scammed, enrol in the upcoming Scams session with Helen Smith:
25COM410: Scams on Wednesday, 5 November from 1–3 pm in Studio 4.
In this valuable session, Helen will share examples to illustrate these sneaky tactics and build some general rules for keeping you safe from scams – do yourself a ‘cyber favour’ and enrol.
Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
So, let’s continue to be careful online folks …