Cybersecurity Awareness Month Checklist

OCTOBER IS CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH

If you start using a Cybersecurity Checklist right away, there’s no doubt that you’ll drastically improve your online security and privacy. The fact is, most people who go online daily fall into one of these categories:

They’re simply too busy to think about cybersecurity.
They haven’t had a problem yet (they think), so they feel they’re safe.
They are unfamiliar with online threats and the concept of cybersecurity.

Maybe you fall into one or more of those categories. If so, you might be the lucky one who manages to avoid an online problem or attack—or you could be like the millions of people who every year lose money, personal information, and a sense of security because of online attacks.

That’s why using a cybersecurity checklist makes a lot of sense.

Personal and business cybersecurity is so vital that the United States designates every October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This campaign aims to raise awareness of online threats and provide guidance on how to avoid them. At a minimum, it ensures that businesses and consumers focus on the real dangers that exist online at least once a year and take steps to minimize their risk profile.

Use this helpful checklist to improve your online security habits and your privacy profile.

Consider using a password manager to change the passwords on your key accounts and eliminate duplicate ones.
Perform a free Data Breach Check to see if any of your account login credentials are currently in a hacker’s online database.
Be alert for phishing scams and be skeptical of emails and text messages that seem suspicious, especially those that include a link to click.
Be sure to use multi- or two-factor authentication on all your key financial and personal accounts.
Use a top-rated Virtual Private Network (VPN) when using free WiFi at hotels, airports, and on the go. (Get help choosing one here.)
Be sure to update the operating systems for your hardware devices (computer, router, smartphone) and other important apps and software.
Limit the amount of personal information you post online, which may give scammers opportunities to attack you via social engineering.
Become aware of the top online scams that fool millions of people every year.
Be particularly aware of impostor scams, where someone pretends to be from your bank, credit card company, or the IRS.
Report any scam you or a loved one has experienced to organizations that offer help and support.

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How the Cybersecurity Checklist Anticipates and Neutralizes Online Threats.

You might think you’re in a safe place today, but you might actually be on the verge of an online attack. The 10 points on the cybersecurity checklist are designed to help prevent online threats from reaching, fooling, or stealing from you. Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? Let’s look at a few of the points from the checklist and see how they can protect you from running into harm online.

Your passwords are protected. Hackers and cyberthieves are eager to purchase and obtain stolen passwords, enabling them to break into your accounts. If your passwords are complex, secret, and individualized, that’s not likely to happen. You will lock them out.
Multi–factor authentication protects your accounts. You hedge your bet and back up your unique, complex passwords with two-factor or multi-factor authentication. So, even if you still have a vulnerable password or one that was stolen, the hackers would not be able to gain access to your account.
Your computer and other devices aren’t vulnerable to sneaky hacks. If you keep your operating systems up to date, your devices are less likely to be compromised via a vulnerability that hackers discover and exploit.

Implementing the cybersecurity checklist helps you shore up your defenses before an attack occurs, not after it happens. It is preventative, not reactive.

Stay on your toes because scammers and hackers will still target you.

Research has shown that, despite consumers and companies having a strong line of defense, the weakest links in the security process are human beings. Scammers and fraudsters are aware of this: That’s why it’s essential to incorporate scam awareness into the cybersecurity checklist.

More than knowing about the types of scams that exist, it’s also important to know why people fall for scams—even those who think they’d never be a victim.

Fraudsters are experts at manipulation, and they exploit our emotions to trick us. It has nothing to do with age or education—the simple fact is, our emotions can betray us.

If the right scam comes your way, your vulnerability goes way up, without you even realizing it. Read our article on how your emotions can betray you.

Learn more about scams.

Increasing your awareness of scams and fraudsters will help you spot a trap and avoid becoming a victim. For more valuable resources, visit our Learning Center, where you can find articles and podcast episodes.

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