What protection are you using?

Cyber-safety is a well known topic when we think about children, but growing up in a digital world, most children will probably have a better grasp of online risks than many adults currently do.

In 2018 one in three Australian adults were affected by cyber-crime. ONE in THREE.

These days it’s an unfortunate fact of life that as users of the internet we have to accept & navigate the wide ranging security risks of being online. Since there will always be scumbags (“bad actors”) trying to get their grubby hands on your personal info & business data.

It’s much easier than you might think for someone to steal a password. Any of these common actions could put you at risk of your password getting stolen:

• Using the same password on more than one site
• Downloading software from the Internet
• Clicking on nefarious links in email messages

It’s super important to protect yourself online. It’s equally important for businesses to ensure that staff are aware of online risks, and actively employ security strategies & tools to ensure both business and personal data remains safe.

So here’s a few things you can do to protect yourself and avoid getting “hacked”:

1. Go to haveibeenpwned.com and register your email address/addresses. Especially if you’ve used a password on more than one site before.

How it works: This service will notify you if your email or passwords have been compromised in a data breach.

2. Use Two Factor Authentication – it’s one of the best ways to add an extra level of protection to any online account.

How it works: when you log into a website or service, you use your mobile phone to verify your identity by either clicking on a texted / emailed link, or by typing in a number sent by an authenticator app.

3. Use Password manager like Dashlane or LastPass.

How it works: A dedicated password manager app will store your passwords in an encrypted form, help you generate secure random passwords, and allow you to easily access your passwords across all the different computers, smartphones, and tablets you use.

4. Use a VPN service, especially if you use public wifi.

How it works: a VPN service creates a virtual encrypted ‘tunnel’ between your device and a remote server operated by the VPN service. All of your internet traffic is routed through this tunnel, which means your data is secure from prying eyes. Best of all, your computer appears to have the IP address of the VPN server, masking both your identity and location.

5. Lastly – check out the staysmartonline.gov.au website. Especially if you’re concerned about online safety, like scams and other malicious behaviour online.