Every day, 90% of U.S. adults use the internet for work, play, and life, according to the Pew Research Center. That’s a lot of people going online. And while a majority are there for good reasons, there are some with nefarious purposes. We have some easy-to-follow tips to help you protect your daily digital life from criminals.
- Give Your Passwords Power: According to ITPro, simple passwords can be cracked in minutes. The stronger your password, the longer it will take to break. If it takes too long, bots and criminals will pass up your accounts for those that are easier to crack. Good passwords are long and complex, containing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. And always choose two-factor authentication whenever it’s available.
- Don’t Trust Email or Text Messages: Unwanted email and text messages can be more than a simple annoyance. Those messages can contain malicious software or links to fake websites aimed at parting you from your personal information and/or usernames and passwords. To protect yourself, never open an attachment unless you’re sure of its origins, and don’t follow random links from unsolicited text messages.
- Be Wi-Fi Smart: At home, lock down your personal wi-fi with a strong password. When you’re on vacation or simply out and about, avoid using public wi-fi for more than simple searches. When you join one of these insecure networks, someone could be watching and recording everything you do on your phone or laptop, including logging into your accounts.
- Keep a Backup: If you do get hacked, a backup of your photos, emails, text messages, and more can get you back up and running fast. Either cloud-based storage or a physical hard drive is a smart option.
- Shop Carefully: Phishing ad scams aren’t new, but they have seen a lot of activity lately. In this scam, criminals use fake advertisements that mimic legitimate offers from real companies. If you make a purchase, you won’t get what you paid for, and the criminals will steal your credit card details.
- Keep Your Software Updated: Set your devices to automatically update your system software. This can help ensure you’re running the latest security updates.
Boost Your Financial Wellness
More Financial Wellness Matters blogs on topics ranging from financial self-care to protecting your financial health are coming soon. Twice a month, we’ll dig a bit deeper into the relationship between financial health and overall well-being, shedding light on the behaviors and beliefs that drive money relationships. With simple tips and proven insights, we hope to enhance your financial well-being and help you live a healthier, happier life.