Do you take precaution while scrolling online? Knowing what to do before, during, and after a cyber scam prevents hacking. Hackers don’t need to know how much is in your bank account to want to get into it. Your identity, your financial data, what’s in your email…… it’s all valuable. And cyber criminals will cast as wide a net as possible to get to anyone they can. They’re counting on you thinking you’re not a target. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is October 1-31, and Hudson Information Technology recommends this is a great time to practice smart security practices with your family.
How Can Residents Protect Themselves from Cyber Hacking?
We encourage Hudson citizens and businesses to incorporate the four simple steps while scrolling online:
1. Use strong passwords and a password manager
Strong passwords are critical to protecting data. These types of passwords can be long, random, unique, and include all four-character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols). Password managers are a powerful tool to help you create long random, and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Plus, they make storing passwords and user IDs easy.
2. Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA)
You need more than a password to protect your online accounts and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable multifactor authentication on all your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media, and financial accounts and use authentication apps or hardware tokens for added security. Learn more about multifactor authentication.
3. Recognize & report phishing
Phishing emails, texts, and calls are the number one-way data gets compromised. Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts or calls asking for personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or credentials over the phone or email unless necessary and don’t click on links or open attachments sent from unknown sources. Verify the authenticity of requests by contacting the individual or organization through a trusted channel. Report phishing attempts to the appropriate authorities or IT department. Learn to recognize the signs of phishing and report these incidents to protect data and devices.
4. Update software
Ensuring your software is up to date is the best way to make sure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Regularly check manually for updates if automatic updates are not available and keep operating systems, antivirus software, web browsers, and applications up to date.
Learn more about National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.