Cyber Security is always important, but even more so now since many of us are working and socializing online more than ever. With the holiday season looming, many will be online shopping more than past years.
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and with the month coming to a close, let’s review important things that were shared.
Background on the Launch of Cyber Security Awareness Month 2020 (CSAM)
CSAM is a globally recognized campaign aiming to educate people on safe online practices. The Canadian Government launched its campaign, through the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) on October 1.
The Cyber Centre’s 2020 campaign consisted of five relevant topics related to helping everyday Canadians manage their devices by educating them on best practices. Each week was a different focus.
As the month is coming to a close, we will take a look at the five topics in order to better educate our own audience.
Week 1: Taking Stock
Are you a tech junkie that has to have all the latest and greatest devices? Even the average household probably has more devices than they realize. Many devices are linked or are associated with accounts online or an app. You probably have all of these things without really thinking about them. It’s important to take a detailed inventory of what you have. Does it serve you? Do you use it often? No? Reactivate and dispose of devices in a safe and responsible manner and move on.
Week 2: Phones
Phones are the one type of device that most of us have, with a majority of theme being smartphones – so small computers. We put some much of our lives into our phones, yet we lose them or forget them more often than we care to admit. To keep your phone safe and secure, make sure you perform all regular OS (operating system) updates. This often fixes previously known security issues. Another tip is to add multi-factor authentication to your phone. This way, if someone steals or finds your phone, they won’t be able to get into it…at least not easily.
Week 3: Computers
Many people are working from home and some kids are still doing virtual school, so we’re on our computers a lot at home these days. Plus all the video calls and such that we’re doing more than ever due to COVID-19. Plus, many people game online, which is better on a computer than a phone. We very much so still rely on traditional computers, which is why it’s so important to keep them secure. Don’t fall for phishing scams (we can expand on this in a later blog perhaps) and make sure you have strong passwords.
If you do get a virus, spyware, malware or anything in-between, contact TwinBytes! We offer virus removal services.
Week 4: Networking
The week on networks focuses on Wi-Fi and protecting your personal and business networks. Your router might not be a flashy device, but it pretty much makes using the internet at home and at work so much easier. It’s so important to set up a secure network. If you’re using public Wi-Fi, consider getting a secure VPN.
Week 5: Smart Devices
Aside from our phones, there are plenty of other smart devices out there. Many have smart TVs, speakers, doorbells, watches and even lightbulbs. These items, when used safely, can really improve our lives. Because so many things will be connecting to your home network, you need to ensure that is set-up properly. You also need to check your privacy settings on each device.
Obviously, this is just a high-level overview of the Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign. If you want us to focus on any of this topics in a future blog or YouTube video, please comment below.
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