Internet Security Tips
To Keep You Secure Online.
There has been an increase in Cybercrime with a 600% increase in malicious emails since the beginning of the pandemic, which experts contribute to the increase in the number of people working from home. This leaves remote workers more vulnerable to attacks by hackers because at home they don’t have company protections such as corporate malware protection. Here are a few Internet security tips to ensure your safety online.
Phishing Attacks
Social Sharing & Passwords
Remove Malware
Use a VPN
Social Media Privacy
Phishing Attacks
Periodically, you may receive fraudulent email messages appearing to come from a valid source. These emails are generally referred to as SPAM or ‘Phishing’ messages. Over 80% of all reported security incidents are phishing attacks and Google blocks 100 million phishing emails each day.
To protect yourself and your family from phishing scams:
- Be suspicious of any unsolicited emails asking for personal information.
- Always report fraudulent or suspicious emails.
- Enter your own URLs to a web browser if it looks suspicious.
- Make sure you have an updated anti-virus program and a firewall.
- Several browsers also have an anti-phishing feature you can switch on to protect your computer from phishing scams.
- For more information about Internet fraud and tips for identifying fraudulent emails and web sites, please visit http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams.
Social Sharing & Passwords
To minimize the risk of your personal information getting into the wrong hands, it’s best to share sparingly on social media and create unique and hard to decipher passwords.
Many social networks allow you to share a wide range of information including everything from your high school alma mater to your pet’s name. A completely filled out profile could actually supply the answers to security questions that are used to retrieve your passwords.
The key here is to be selective about the amount of information you choose to provide in your profile.
When creating passwords consider following these complexity rules:
- Password must not contain the user’s account name or more than two consecutive characters from the user’s full name.
- Password must be six or more characters long.
- Uppercase characters A-Z (Latin alphabet)
- Lowercase characters a-z (Latin alphabet)
- Digits 0-9
- Special characters (!, $, #, %, etc.)
It’s not only important to keep complexity in mind, but you should also avoid using the same password across multiple sites. If an attacker is able to crack one password they would potentially have access to all of your online accounts.
Remove Malware
The first step to removing malware is simply recognizing the signs that something is wrong with your PC. Signs include unusually slow performance, warnings from security programs you didn’t install, browser pop-ups when no browser is actually open, and much more.
If you recognize any of these warning signs follow one or all of these options to remove malware:
- Update Anti-virus software
- Revert to safe mode
- Turn off your internet
Use a VPN
Cybercrime complaints were up 400% during the Covid-19 pandemic, as more employees worked from home. A VPN can be the first line of defense against cyber attacks.
Benefits to using a VPN:
- It can secure your network by stopping people, software and web browsers from being able to access your connection. That ensures the information you transmit and receive is secure and anonymous.
- It encrypts your information so it’s useless to anyone who manages to intercept it.
- Avoid data caps set by your provider that can slow down your internet.
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*eero Secure+ requires subscription to whole home WiFi powered by eero.
Social Media Privacy
- There are a variety of social networks available plus more being created each day. It is a good measure to be aware of these new networks, functionality and privacy settings. Have your child walk you through how they use each tool so you better understand information they’re publishing online.
- To minimize the risk of your personal information getting into the wrong hands, it’s best to share sparingly on social media and create unique and hard to decipher passwords.
- Many social networks allow you to share a wide range of information including everything from your high school alma mater to your pet’s name. A completely filled out profile could actually supply the answers to security questions that are used to retrieve your passwords. Even if you privatize your profile, it takes just one security oversight to open access to identity thieves. The key here is to be selective about the amount of information you choose to provide in your profile.
eero Secure+
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FAQs
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Click here for all FAQs.
What is home network security?+
Home network security is the protection of a network that is connected to internet of things (IoT) or smart home devices, which include routers, computers, smartphones, smart appliances, WiFi enabled baby monitors, cameras, and more. Without proper internet security precautions, these interconnected devices can pose a significant security risk to your personal data and privacy.
How do you stay safe online?+
There are a number of ways to stay safe online which include checking for HTTPS padlocks on browsers before entering credit card information when shopping online, being aware of email phishing scams, creating unique and strong passwords, securing your WiFi router, limiting the amount of personal information shared on social networks, preventing and removing malware from infected devices, placing family computers in high trafficked areas to prevent children from viewing unsafe content, and monitoring internet usage on your home network.
How do I monitor internet usage on my home network?+
You can monitor internet usage on your home network by implementing parental control tools such as content filtering to block access to websites matching unwanted categories, access scheduling which allows you to set a weekly schedule for internet access, and social media tracking to limit your view to just general post and interactions that contain certain words you may deem inappropriate.
How do I secure my WiFi router?+
You can secure your WiFi router by changing the default password and creating a strong and unique password for your network. If available, use as stronger encryption standard such as WPA or WPA2 over WEP. Many WiFi routers also have a firewall built in which can be enabled to provide an additional layer of security for your home network. Finally, consider enabling a wireless media access control (MAC) filter. Every device has a unique MAC address. When MAC filtering is enabled it will only allow devices to connect to your network if its MAC address has been added to the filter list.
How do I secure my password?+
To secure your password it’s important to not only use a unique password but also differentiate your passwords across all of your accounts. If you use the same password across all platforms and an identity thief accurately guesses your password, they now have access to all of your accounts. In order to create a strong password consider substituting some of the letters for numbers, try spelling a word backwards, use special characters, or use credible online password generators.
