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What is Cyber Hygiene?
Think of your computer, devices, and online accounts as your personal vault, storing valuable items like photos, documents, and even bank access.
Cyber hygiene means adopting habits to protect these from online threats & keeping your information safe.
Why is Cyber Hygiene Important for Seniors?
Consider it like this: Online scams are similar to con artists working a busy market. They’re constantly on the lookout for someone who might be an easy mark.
Older adults can be especially at risk since they might not be as up-to-date with the newest online fraud tactics.
By practicing good cyber hygiene, you can confidently navigate the digital world and significantly lower your chances of falling victim to online threats.
What to do?
Building Your Online defence: Essential Practices
- Password Powerhouse
- Strong Passwords: Use long, complex passwords with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using simple passwords like birthdays or pet names.
- Unique Passwords for Each Account: Don’t reuse the same password for multiple accounts. Consider using a password manager to store and remember your unique passwords.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA for important accounts like email, banking, and social media. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring a second verification code when logging in.
Phrases are good examples of easy to remember passwords, with special characters induced.
- Recognizing Online Scams
- Phishing: When scammers use fake emails, texts, or calls to trick you into sharing personal information like passwords or bank details.
- Red Flags: Be wary of emails with urgent language, misspelled URLs, grammatical errors, or requests for personal information. Legitimate companies won’t pressure you to act immediately.
- Protecting Your Online Presence
- Privacy Settings: Adjust your privacy settings on social media to control who sees your information and posts.
- Think Before You Share: Avoid posting personal information like your address, phone number, or birthdate publicly. Once something is online, it can be difficult to erase.
- Social Media Scams: Be cautious of friend requests from unknown people, especially those offering unbelievable deals or impersonating loved ones.
- Staying Secure on Public Networks
- Secure Networks: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive activities like online banking or entering passwords.
- VPNs: A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic, making it more difficult for hackers to steal your data on public Wi-Fi.
- Safe Browsing Habits
- Secure Websites: Websites with “HTTPS” keep your information safe by protecting it from being seen by others. You can tell a site is secure if the web address starts with “https://” instead of “http://”.
- Avoid Suspicious Links: Be cautious of links in emails, social media messages, or pop-ups from unknown sources. Hover over links to see the actual URL before clicking.
- Keep Your Browser Updated: Regularly update your web browser to ensure you have the latest security features and patches. Enable automatic updates if possible.
- Backup and Recovery
- Regular Data Backups: Back up important data to a secure location, such as cloud storage or an external hard drive. This ensures you can recover your files in case of a cyber incident.
- Recovery Plan: Develop a plan for restoring your devices and data in the event of a security breach or data loss.
Practicing good cyber hygiene is essential for seniors to protect themselves from online threats in 2024 and beyond.
If you have any questions or require further assistance.
We are here to support you in navigating through each step of your digital journey.
By staying vigilant & informed, you can protect yourself & your information.