Protecting your personal information and practicing your own cyber security
As you shop and make charitable donations online this year, it’s more important than ever to be vigilant and cautious with your personal online security. Arm yourself with the information to keep you cyber safe and protected from online fraud.
Creating strong passwords
Creating secure and unique passwords along with using different usernames and email addresses for registrations across online services can help keep you protected. Cybercriminals are savvy, and may engage in large-scale automated cyber-attacks where they test different usernames and passwords (credentials) on legitimate websites (email, financial, social media etc.) to access accounts and obtain valuable information about users. This is called "credential stuffing," and this type of attack may have far-reaching consequences for those affected. In addition to obtaining your personal or financial information, once cybercriminals learn your credentials on one site, they may try to use those same credentials on other sites. If you have the same username and password across online accounts you may be more susceptible to becoming a target of this type of cyber-attack. You want to make sure you are creating a strong password, unique for every site, to protect yourself from cyber-attacks. Here are some password best practices:
Staying safe on social media
As we are more digitally interconnected than ever, social media has become an important communication tool, so staying safe on social media has never been more important. When not managed properly, it can provide personal information to cyber criminals that can easily be exploited to engage in fraud and other dangerous crimes. When communicating on social media, you and your family should actively manage the security and privacy of your information.
Safe online shopping
Like anything else you do on the Internet, when you shop online you open yourself to the perils of cyber space. It is important to actively manage your behavior and keep your personal and financial information secure for safe online shopping.
Online safety for children
Other ways to protect your information online
Learn more about fraud protection
By educating yourself on common scams, you'll be more prepared to protect yourself from fraud.
Looking to cyber-secure your business?
Businesses are vulnerable to cyber threats and have unique cyber security needs.
Protect yourself from Identity Theft
Knowing ways scammers try to steal your personal information and identity is the first step in preventing it.