Online Safety Tips & Good Habits

Protect Your Information

• Use Strong, Unique Passwords Everywhere: Use a unique, strong password for each account so a breach doesn’t spread. Aim for long passphrases (16+ characters) with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, and avoid reusing passwords or using personal information (birthdays, pet names, addresses).

• Write it down and keep it safe: Everyone can forget a password. Keep a list that’s stored in a safe, secure place away from your computer. Use a reputable password manager to generate and securely store complex passwords. This reduces password reuse and helps protect against phishing and credential-stuffing attacks.

• Lock down your login: Passwords alone aren’t enough to keep your accounts secure. Strengthen protection by enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) using an authenticator app, security key, or biometrics when available. Avoid relying only on text-message codes, which can be less secure.

Keep A Clean Machine

• Protect all devices that connect to the internet: Along with computers, smartphones, gaming systems, and other web-enabled devices also need protection from viruses and malware.
• Keep Security software current: Having the latest security software, web browser, and operating system is the best defense against viruses, malware, and other online threats.
• Turn On Automatic Software Updates: Many software programs will automatically connect and update to defend against known risks. Turn on automatic updates if that’s an available option.
• Plug & Scan: Never connect unknown external devices to your computer. USBs and other external devices can be infected by viruses and malware. 

Connect With Care

• Think Before You Click: Cybercriminals often use emails, texts, ads, and social media posts to steal personal information. If a link, attachment, or message seems suspicious, even from someone you know, do not open it. 
• Use public Wi-Fi carefully: Avoid banking, shopping, or accessing sensitive accounts on public networks unless using a trusted VPN. Keep your device’s security and sharing settings turned on and updated. 
• Protect your financial information: When banking or shopping online, make sure the website uses secure encryption. Look for “https://” and the padlock icon in your browser before entering payment or personal information.

Be Web Wise

• Think Before You Act: Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true, or ask for personal information.
• Stay Current: Keep pace with new ways to stay safe online. Check trusted websites for the latest information, and share with friends, family, and colleagues, and encourage them to be web-wise.
• Back It Up: Protect your valuable work, music, photos, and other digital information by making an electronic copy and storing it safely.

Own Your Online Presence

• Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it: Information about you, such as your purchase history or location, has value – just like money. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected through apps and websites. 
• Be aware of what’s being shared: Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing.   
• Share with care: Think before posting about yourself and others online. Consider what a post reveals, who might see it, and how it could be perceived now and in the future.

Be A Good Online Citizen

• Post only about others as you have them post about you. The Golden Rule applies online as well.
• Safer for me, more secure for all: What you do online has the potential to affect everyone – at home, at work, and around the world. Practicing good online habits benefits the global digital community.
• Help the authorities fight cybercrime: Report stolen finances or identities and other cybercrime to the Internet Crime Complaint Center and to your local law enforcement or state attorney general as appropriate.