The holidays are behind us, and if you got a new gadget or electronic device, now is the time to make sure it’s secure.
“Obviously, security should be at the forefront when people are connecting these devices” says Tyler Moffitt, Senior Security Analyst at Carbonite and Webroot, OpenText companies.
One of his biggest suggestions: use two-factor authentication.
“I know it can be annoying to set up, but the importance I cannot stress enough the exponential increase in security that you’re offering in preventing hackers from getting this info, ’cause depending on what you’re doing or what you’re using it for” adds Moffitt. “I mean, you know we’re only trusting more and more vendors with our data, so it’s so important to do what you can to bolster that security and really minimize your risk, because even these big, reputable vendors like Ring and Nest they’ve been hacked, and the data has been leaked and sold on the dark web regularly.”
Other tips include:
- Beware of knockoffs of reputable expensive items or devices that are new, but a few years old. These devices have very little to no security.
- Don’t use unknown or unsecure wireless networks when in public and use antivirus, anti-phishing and anti-malware software.
- Back up your data and accounts regularly plus update all the software you use regularly so it’s not exploited.
- Be aware of email phishing scams. Attackers like to use spam, fake and realistic websites to email or message you to trick you into divulging private information.
- Be cautious of post-holiday warranty emails and don’t click on anything; navigate to the website instead.
- If online shopping, use credit cards instead of debit cards. A compromised debit card can have a cascade of damaging effects on your bank account and identity
For more information, click here to visit Webroot.com.