Simple Cyber Security: 4 steps to online safety
“Cyber Security Awareness Month, every October, is a collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect their personal data from digital forms of crime.”
- National Cybersecurity Alliance
Fight cyber crime like Byte Knight and MFA Maven!
Step 1. Strong and unique passwords set the foundation of cyber security
Every day, the average person logs in to some combination of Instagram, TikTok, banking apps, work accounts, personal email, e-commerce sites and ride-sharing accounts. It’s fair to say we live in an online world.
With users sharing so much information, how can they stay safe? It’s actually simple. Using strong, unique passwords helps protect your data. Not sure if your passwords are strong enough? Test their strength and learn more about password management. You can also get started now with a fully featured free account for unlimited logins across unlimited devices.
"70% of people admit they use the same password for more than one account."
Step 2. Use multi-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA), two-step login or multi-factor authentication (MFA) refers to the separate methods of verifying your identity in order to access an account. This may include logging in to an account with a password and then confirming again with an authentication code. For a more detailed explanation, check out this post for Top 10 Burning Questions on 2FA and for more on different methods for 2FA/MFA, visit this two-step login help article. Simply put, two-step login offers the extra layer of protection everyone needs.
Visit The Survey Room: a collection of password management and security-related surveys and reports spanning businesses and individuals.
Did you know?
Passkey 2FA is included in every Bitwarden plan, including the free plan! All users can secure their Bitwarden account with a hardware security key or other FIDO2 WebAuthn credential generator.
Step 3. Keep your software updated
Cybersecurity Awareness Month reminds everyone to stay on top of software updates. Typically, updates will patch security flaws, remove bugs, and add features that may help secure information better. While it’s tempting to skip updates, a couple of minutes of updating could prevent hours of headache resulting from identity theft.
Software updates also help prevent ransomware attacks. Typically, ransom-focused cybercriminals try to exploit vulnerabilities – including issues such as outdated software.
Learn more about the #StopRansomware Guide authored by CISA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency (NSA).
66% of respondents reported their organization was affected by ransomware in 2023, up from 51% in 2020.
Step 4. Know how to spot a phishing scam
Learn how to stay alert for phishing attacks, which are attempts to trick people into sharing valuable data or visiting malware-infected websites. Users should check that emails are coming from the correct sender, hover over links to confirm they go to the right website, and avoid opening attachments from people they don’t know. Be especially careful on mobile devices, which do not always have the hover option to see exact email addresses and link destinations.
With the proliferation of generative AI, phishing scams have become even more sophisticated. Fortunately, tools such as password managers can help. Read more about how password managers help prevent phishing.
"A successful phishing attack can be so convincing that you won't even know that you were affected."
Additional resources
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