With just a few simple steps, you can help to protect yourself and your family from cybercrime.
By Sam Wall, managing consultant focused on governance, risk and compliance at specialist cybersecurity firm Sekuro
So much of daily life occurs online now – our banking, our communications with friends, our shopping, our ‘doomscrolling’. This involves a large amount of personal data, which makes our devices and personal online accounts vulnerable to cybercrime, including phishing scams and computer hacks. But it’s easier than you might think to put basic security measures in place that will help to protect you and your family when you’re online. Here are four of the most important things you can do to stay cyber-safe.
1. If it wants you to do something quick, don’t click
We’ve all received phishing emails and texts trying to get our personal information or our logins to various platforms. “Today is the last day to redeem your points with …”, or “The package that you ordered hasn’t been delivered – click here to find out where it is”. More than 80 percent of hacks start out with phishing campaigns like this, and people over the age of 40 are disproportionately affected.
If it makes you too happy or too angry (especially if there’s an urgent time limit to take advantage of the amazing opportunity), err on the side of caution and don’t click it. If you still want to take advantage of the offer, independently verify it by checking the company’s website, calling them, or confirming with other reliable sources.
The takeaway: don’t click on links if you have any suspicions
2. Use different passwords for different accounts
Would you use the same toothbrush to clean your teeth and scrub the toilet? Of course not. And yet, most of us use the same password for multiple accounts. The most common passwords are still ‘password’ and ‘123456’. These are some of the first things a hacker will likely try to get access to your account, and using these kinds of basic passwords makes you an easy target.
Some good password tips:
- Use a different password for each different account
- Make each password at least 16 characters long, and include numbers, letters and symbols
- Use a random password generator – they can come up with strong passwords that hackers will be unable to crack
The takeaway: don’t keep using that same toothbrush (password) for everything.
3. Update your software
As applications and online portals are created by humans and released at breakneck speed, they often contain errors, or ‘bugs’. Developers release software updates regularly to fix errors and add new features, including security upgrades.
Many of us experienced the ‘blue screen of death’ recently when US cybertech company CrowdStrike released a software update with a bug in it. The solution that affected companies implemented was to update their software as soon as possible.
You should do the same for yourself on your personal devices. Hackers target systems and devices with these bugs. So check that your devices are running on the latest software updates, or better yet, turn on auto-updates so that your devices continue to be protected as new software updates are released.
The takeaway: regular software updates are essential for cyber security
4. Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Even if you have a good password, that still leaves hackers with only one thing to crack. That’s whycompanies increasingly allow users to use MFA, also known as two-factor authentication. MFA normally consists of requiring you to provide two of these three things to log in:
The takeaway: MFA provides an added layer of security to give you peace of mind
If you can consistently implement these measures, you’ll be doing better than most people in Australia. So follow these steps, and you can get back to enjoying your time online!
Sam Wall is a managing consultant focused on governance, risk and compliance at specialist cybersecurity firm Sekuro. You can find more info about being safe online at esafety.gov.au
Explore more ideas about creating a more inclusive online future in our special Digital Divide Edition of Inner Sydney Voice Magazine.