According to a recent study, the average person touches their phone 2,617 times per day. As some of the biggest online users in the world, Canadians visit more sites and spend more time on the internet than any other country.
Within the last 24 hours, how many times have you checked your bank account through an online app? Checked your social networking sites or used email? Downloaded or shared a file? Shopped online? While we do this every day without giving it a second thought, it’s important to realize that everything we do online puts us at risk of being “hacked”.
Considering all of the time we spend on our computers or smartphones, a few precautions can go a long way to protect you and your family online. Check out our cyber attack prevention tips below.
Passwords
Sure it’s easy to remember, but don’t use your birthdate as a password (same goes for your pet’s name). This is the number one thing you can do to protect yourself online: create unique passwords and change them routinely. Use the suggestions below to make safe and secure passwords.
- Make your password at least eight characters long.
- Use a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Technically, you can still use your pet’s name, your lucky numbers or the street you grew up on, but what would really be effective would be to make your password a mix of all of these things.
Less is More
As a consumer, your personal information ties to corporate data, and most websites you shop on or visit ask you for an onslaught of personal details. Only provide what is essential to make the transaction, such as your address and credit card information if you shop online (better yet – use an online payment system, rather than shell out your credit card number on multiple sites). A good rule of thumb is to only provide the absolute minimum information (fields marked with an *), and skip the ‘optional’ fields.
Protect All Devices
Protect each of your devices: your phone, your tablet, and your computer. If you wouldn’t leave your house unlocked, you shouldn’t leave your devices without protection, either. The nuisance of having to unlock your device with a verification method (e.g. type in a password, scan your thumbprint, make a pattern with your finger, etc.) each time you want to use it far outweighs the cost of having your personal information, like photos and credit card information, in the wrong hands.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Develop a skeptical eye to recognize phishing scams. These scams impersonate legitimate organizations to dupe people into giving out their personal information. Your best defense is to be suspicious of any email that asks you to enter or verify your personal information. If you’re not sure, exit your email and log into your account directly through the company website. Or pick up the phone and call the company directly. And remember: never click a link in a suspicious email.
When it comes down to it, ID theft attacks are most often just an inconvenience (having to order new credit cards, for example), however, serious online threats do exist.
Thankfully, many insurers are providing some form of identity theft coverage in their properties policies. Contact me today to see if you're covered: kspencer@scrivens.ca or 613-236-9101.
