Cybersecurity Tips

ON THE INTERNET
WE ARE AT WAR 24/7

STRENGTHEN YOUR DEFENSES BY IMPLEMENTING THE FOLLOWING:

• Use strong passwords – 12 characters or more with lower and uppercase letters, numbers and special characters!
• Use unique passwords – every account should have a unique password! ESPECIALLY EMAIL ACCOUNTS!
• Utilize haveibeenpwned.com – to see if your email address has been in a data breach. If it has, change your password for each data breach found.
• Backup your data often – daily is best
• Keep your software up to date – allow Windows update to run
• Beware of email scams (phishing emails)
  • Do not open emails from people you don’t know
  • Look at the actual email address to see if it matches up with the correct domain/company
  • Hover over the links to see where they lead to
  • Never click a link and then enter your password
  • Forward the email to your IT person and let them check it out
• Utilize www.virustotal.com – to scan downloaded files and attachments before you open them. You can also use virustotal.com to analyze website domains and URLs.
• Lock your computer – when you step away from your computer, lock the screen or turn off the computer.
• Beware of virus pop-ups – If you get a pop up on your screen saying you have a virus, do not call the number on the screen. Call your IT person.
• Beware of phone scams – if someone calls and says you have a virus, hang up. Don’t trust your phone’s caller id. Criminals can use whatever caller id they want.
• Make sure your antivirus is running – for Windows we utilize the built in Windows defender and Malwarebytes.com. You can check if Windows defender is running by clicking Start -> type Windows Security

DO NOT GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION TO ANYONE REQUESTING IT VIA THE PHONE OR EMAIL!
If you must give out personal information, research the company on the Internet and contact them to verify the caller was legitimate.