Cybersecurity Awareness

Protecting yourself online may seem like a daunting task, but in reality it is not. There are simple, every day steps you can take to secure your online life. You don’t have to be a computer expert to take measures to stay safe online.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages you to follow these three simple steps below.

Enable stronger authentication. Always enable stronger authentication for an extra layer of security beyond the password that is available on most major email, social media and financial accounts. Stronger authentication (e.g., multi-factor authentication that can use a one-time code texted to a mobile device) helps verify that a user has authorized access to an online account. For more information about authentication, visit the new Lock Down Your Login Campaign at https://www.lockdownyourlogin.com.

Keep a clean machine. Install updates for apps and update the security software on all of your Internet-connected devices as soon as updates are available. Keeping the software up to date will prevent cybercriminals from being able to take advantage of known vulnerabilities

Use long and strong passwords. Create strong passwords with eight or more characters and a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Source: Department of Homeland Security