Protect While You Connect — How to Stay Safe Online
October was Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada, but UPEI encourages students, faculty and staff to “protect while you connect” year-round. There are several simple ways to stay safe online, says Dana Sanderson, UPEI’s Chief Information Officer.
“Whether you're sending emails, downloading files at work or school, banking online, connecting with friends, the Internet has become an essential part of everyday life,” explains Sanderson. “It’s also a breeding ground for criminal activity and where your information can be compromised. If you take the time to learn about the common threats and risks, online security and protecting yourself can be easy.”
Know the threats.
Online threats include email scams, phishing attacks, botnets, viruses, and trojans. Knowing where they come from and what they look like is the first step to keeping them at bay.
Watch out for fake software.
Cyber criminals develop schemes to trick you into downloading and installing malware on computers, mobile devices and networks. Learning to spot the tricks can keep your precious customer and financial information under locks.
Protect your social networks.
By sharing personal information on social media sites that can be used to build a profile of your responsibilities and activities, it can then be used to develop a convincing scam, tailored to you specifically.
Watch out for phishers.
Cyber criminals use fake emails, text messages and websites to trick you into giving up important info. It's called phishing. Passwords, usernames, credit card numbers can be are taken, sold, and used. Criminals may even impersonate organizations and businesses like UPEI to try to scam clients.
Never respond to emails requesting private information, or click on links from unknown sources. Be on the lookout for email scams where the message is alarmist, has spelling mistakes, offers a deal that's too good to be true, or requests sensitive information.
Know how to spot risky URLs.
By taking the URLs of recognized sites and tweaking them slightly, cyber criminals can catch unsuspecting people in a scam. Signs that a URL is untrustworthy include hyphens, numbers, spelling mistakes and @ symbols in place of regular characters. Manually type URLs in the address bar, rather than clicking on email links. This can help ensure you are going to a legitimate site and not a malicious or spoofed site.
Don't write down passwords. Choose strong ones and change them frequently.
Avoid writing down your passwords on scraps of paper by your work areas. They can be nabbed by people passing by and used to access your accounts. Also, choose strong passwords that aren’t easily guessed and change them on a regular basis to keep your accounts secure.
Lock computer screens.
Lock your screens when you are away from your desks, to help ensure your work areas are secure.
Protect laptops in public.
If cyber criminals get a hold of your computer or mobile device, they can mine it for the important information you've worked so hard to keep secure. Be mindful of where and how you keep your devices.
Don’t connect to unknown Wi-Fi networks.
Choose your network wisely. "Evil twin" Wi-Fi hotspots are sometimes created in the same location to lure and attack unsuspecting mobile users. Turn off settings that automatically search for Wi-Fi networks to prevent your phone, tablet, or laptop from connecting to unsecure and unknown networks. When on public Wi-Fi, look for secure connections that require a password.
Maintain anti-virus software and firewalls.
While most personal computers come with trial versions of anti-virus software, a firewall, and anti-spy software, after a certain length of time you will need to purchase them or replace them with an alternate software in order to stay protected. Don't ignore updates when prompted on your computer, but make sure they come from your anti-virus software or operating system. If you're not sure, take your computer to an expert. If you are using a UPEI computer, ITSS has installed/subscribed to these protections.
Contact ITSS in an emergency.
In the case of a potential breech or theft, employees should contact UPEI Security Services or the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465 or helpdesk@upei.ca immediately to limit the damage.
Get more tips at the Government of Canada's Get Cyber Safe website.
