Emergency Services Coordinator for the City of Goleta, Michael Baris, provides tips to help you stay safe from cyber criminals.
We all admit, “cybersecurity” is a daunting and complex subject. The most important thing to know is that it’s about you, your family, and the information available on the internet. You should be the only person to see your emails, online bank information, and pictures. Here are some tips to make sure you and everyone you care about is safe while using a phone, computer, or tablet.
- Update Your Phone: It may be tempting to keep using your phone and ignoring the software update prompts, but this will leave your phone vulnerable to outside intruders. These software updates improve your devices’ security and keeps it up-to-date to the latest tricks an online criminal may use.
- Use Strong Passwords: Having ‘1234’ as your password may be easy for you to remember, but it’s also easy for someone else to take advantage of and abuse. Create a strong password that you can remember that uses a combination of letters and numbers.
- Think before You Click: Did you receive an email from a friend, but the email address looks strange? Or did an email ask for your information so they can send you a prize? That may not be your friend on the other side, and that prize may be too good to be true. Be skeptical online and think before you click on something you are unsure of.
To learn more about cyber security go to https://staysafeonline.org/resources.