Due to coronavirus, people are spending more time online this year.
This means more opportunities for hackers to carry out cyber attacks. They often do this by targeting people and businesses using:
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email and website scams
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malware – software that can damage your device or let a hacker in
If hackers get into your device or accounts, they could access your money, your personal information, or information about your business.
You can improve your cyber security by taking six easy actions:
Action 1:
Use a strong and separate password for your email
If a hacker gets into your email, they could:
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reset your other account passwords
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access information you have saved about yourself or your business
Your email password should be strong and different to all your other passwords. This will make it harder to crack or guess.
Using 3 random words is a good way to create a strong, unique password that you will remember.
You should also protect your other important accounts, such as banking or social media.
Did you know?
If a hacker gets into your email, they could reset the passwords for your other accounts using the ‘forgot password’ feature.
Action 2
Create strong passwords using 3 random words
When you use different passwords for your important accounts, it can be hard to remember them all.
A good way to create strong, memorable passwords is by using 3 random words.
Do not use words that can be guessed (like your pet’s name). You can include numbers and symbols if you need to. For example, “RedPantsTree4!”
Saving your passwords in your browser will help you manage them.
Action 3
Save your passwords in your browser
Did you know?
You can access your saved passwords from any device where you are signed into the same browser.
Saving your password in your browser means letting your web browser (such as Chrome, Safari or Edge) remember your password for you.
This can help:
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make sure you do not lose or forget your passwords
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protect you against some cyber crime, such as fake websites
It is safer than using weak passwords, or using the same password in more than one place.
Make sure you protect your saved passwords in case your device is lost or stolen.
Add Extra Protection
Once you’ve set up strong, separate passwords for all your devices and services, there are other things you can do to reduce your risk of being hacked.
Action 4
Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps to stop hackers from getting into your accounts, even if they have your password.
Some online banking uses MFA automatically. It does this by asking for more information to prove your identity, such as a code that gets sent to your phone.
Action 5
Update your devices
Out-of-date software, apps, and operating systems contain weaknesses. This makes them easier to hack.
Companies fix the weaknesses by releasing updates. When you update your devices and software, this helps to keep hackers out.
Turn on automatic updates for your devices and software that offer it. This will mean you do not have to remember each time.
Some devices and software need to be updated manually. You may get reminders on your phone or computer. Do not ignore these reminders. Updating will help to keep you safe online.
Make sure you can recover quickly
A cyber attack may mean you lose some or all of your data, such as pictures, documents, or financial or client information. Backing up regularly will help you get back on track.
Action 6
Back up your data
Backing up means creating a copy of your information and saving it to another device or to cloud storage (online).
Backing up regularly means you will always have a recent version of your information saved. This will help you recover quicker if your data is lost or stolen.
You can also turn on automatic backup. This will regularly save your information into cloud storage, without you having to remember.
If you back up your information to a USB stick or an external hard drive, disconnect it from your computer when a back up isn’t being done.
Did you know?
You should always back up your data before updating your device.
This is because updates can sometimes remove or change files.
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