With every day comes new technology, new opportunities, and new threats to the security of your information. Since COVID-19, cybercrime has increased by 600%. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of employees who are increasingly working from home, which provides a less secure environment than if they were to be working at the office. It’s very important that you are keeping your personal and work information secure and away from the many attacks that happen every day. Make sure that you are keeping up with the criminals by protecting yourself through our 10 key tips below:
- Strong passwords are a necessity, and they need to be updated on a regular schedule. Use passwords that are hard to guess, that exceed 12 characters, and incorporate capitalizations, numbers, and symbols.
- In addition to creating strong passwords, two-factor authentication increases the security of your accounts. Choose to have a code sent to another personal device.
- While public Wi-Fi is convenient, it is not secure. If you have to use public Wi-Fi, make sure to delete or forget the network when you are done using it, so your device(s) don’t automatically connect to it.
- Did you know that 94% of malware is delivered via email? Suspicious emails typically have a sense of urgency, enticing you to complete confidential information such as logging into a personal account. If you receive a suspicious email, don’t open or click on it. Send it straight to your IT security department to confirm whether or not it is a phishing email.
- Don’t leave your devices unattended and unsecured! Make sure to utilize timed screen locking and passwords to get into your devices.
- Outdated systems are a huge target for cybercriminals. Be sure to always install the latest updates for your operating system, browser, or applications you use.
- Review the sites you are using to make sure they are secure. Avoid shopping at sites that don’t start with https://.
- Be sure to back up all of your devices on a consistent basis, especially if you are going out of town.
- If you are using a communal computer, be sure to search in privacy or incognito model and clear the browsing history when you are done.
- Everything that you post to a social community online has the capability of being shared. Make sure that you do not share any personal information or your location online.
Your security is very important to us – whether that be keeping your information secure online, or your financial wellbeing. I encourage you to reach out to your team if you need any help with creating a more secure household for yourself or your family.
Makila Hennig
Director of Operations
(720) 452-6271
[email protected]
Advisory services offered through Fiduciary Investment Trusts, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fiduciary Investment Trusts, LLC: 6201 College Blvd., 7th Floor, Overland Park, KS 66211. Fiduciary Investment Trusts, LLC doing business as Financial Fitness For Life.