NAU ITS is here to help you stay cyber safe! Here are some tips our security experts encourage all of us to follow. In order to maintain a safe digital presence, these are the steps to follow.
1. Use a password
- Use a password for your computer and phone to avoid unauthorized access to your devices.
2. Be password smart
- A longer password is better than a complex one. A strong password could be a sentence such as “PinapplesBelongOnPizza1!” This makes it harder to hack but easy to remember. Remember to never share passwords or reuse them. Tip: Using numbers and symbols helps to strengthen your password.
3. Think before you click the link
- Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited emails. Don’t take the bait in phishing emails. If a link is embedded in an email or article where you can’t see the URL right away, hover over the text to ensure it’s a reliable link to avoid getting malware on your device.
4. Update your devices
- Outdated software can lack security and leaves users vulnerable to hackers. Run and install updates on your devices and applications regularly.
5. Your posts live forever
- Limit the amount of information you publish to your social media accounts. Once it’s posted, it can never be 100% deleted from the Internet.
6. Turn off location settings
- Turn off location settings in your applications and never post where or when you will be in a particular location. This let’s people know you’re away from your home, where they can easily break in.
7. Back it up
- Backup your important files and documents on a regular basis. It’s good to have a copy of important files in case they are corrupted.
8. Secure your Wi-Fi
- Secure your wireless networks and avoid open Wi-Fi networks. Make sure your Wi-Fi is password protected and use a VPN.
- Yes this means airports, coffee shops, and other public spaces.
9. Recognize Scams
- Learn how to recognize scams and effectively manage your email activity. This can be done by looking for spelling errors in emails or unknown web addresses. If it looks phishy, it probably is.
10. Enroll in Two-Step Verification
- Multi-factor authentication, two-step verification, there are many terms that companies and organizations use. However, one thing remains the same… it protects your accounts. Use two-step verification, where applicable to strengthen your account security. This can be done by adding your phone number to your social media accounts, which will send an authentication code to that number and verify your identity.
- To protect your NAU account, we encourage you to enroll in Two-Step Verification here.
