Defending Privacy: TDS offers tips to stay cyber-safe

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month–the perfect time to give your accounts and devices the protection they deserve, and learn about the current threats you face online. While there is no sure-fire way to guarantee you won’t be threatened by a cyber-attack, TDS has some guidelines that everyone can use to fight back against unwanted cyber-intrusion at home–the most important of which is protecting your privacy.

Privacy on the internet is one of the most important pillars of our interconnected world. Whether it be your online medical records, your credit card information, or simply the password to your email, hackers will gladly take anything they can get.

Here’s a list of helpful suggestions to improve your privacy on the internet, and potentially thwart internet thievery:

• Passwords are like toothbrushes: you should be changing them regularly. You know you probably don’t do it enough; and although changing passwords may feel like a chore, having a solid, new password could make a difference when a data breach occurs. In addition to changing your passwords, sites like HaveIBeenPwned.com and Google Chrome’s Password Checkup extension are both tools you can use to see if an email or password exists in any databases of stolen information.
• Know the difference between secure and unsecure sites. Website addresses that include HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) are less secure than sites that begin with HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). HTTPS websites includes an encryption layer that allows for secure transfer of information between servers and browsers.
• Accept those security updates! Yes, having to quit what you’re doing for the latest software update can seem like a real pain; but those security updates are a small price to pay for peace of mind while using your devices. Often the updates include patches to “holes” in the security software of the device, as technology companies try to stay one step ahead of any “bugs” or gaps that hackers are constantly trying to discover and exploit.

Above all else, remember that cyber-attacks can happen whenever, wherever, to whomever–so stay vigilant and protect your online privacy.