How to protect your data from hackers and scammers | News
Cybercrime may sound like a word out of a sci-fi novel, but digital crimes are real — and they happen all the time. From phishing scams to malware, staying alert and informed is important to avoid having your information stolen. In this cybersecurity month, the University of Calgary’s IT department wants to bring you top tips on how to stay safe online.
When it comes to cybersecurity, prevention is key. Installing up-to-date anti-virus/anti-malware software can prevent your computer from becoming infected. Ransomware attacks – where your data is stolen and there is a price to be paid to recover it – can be mitigated by backing up your data to external hard drives or uploading it to the cloud. It can also help ensure that your devices are regularly updated and have the latest security patches.
Another thing to watch out for is phishing, where you impersonate an individual, company, or institution online in order to gain access to someone’s personal information. Phishing emails have become more sophisticated over the past two decades and are difficult to distinguish from genuine emails.
However, there are still some elements that might give away a phishing scam such as: B. misspelled words, suspicious links and numbers or an unknown sender. If you think an email is suspicious, the best practice is to report it to IT at [email protected] or if it’s on a private device, block the sender and delete the e -Mail.
Perhaps the most overlooked part of cybersecurity is social media security. With so many apps showing the world who you are, where you’ve been, and what you look like, it’s easy to lose sight of privacy. Remember, what you post on the internet stays on the internet even after you delete it.
Be careful what you share and remember that it’s a good practice to ask permission before posting other people’s pictures. Geo-locators, which tell the site and sometimes other users your location, can also be disabled. Make sure you review each app’s privacy settings as best you can and use what’s comfortable for you. Examples include restricting who can see your profile and learning how to block and report potential in-app threats.
For more tips and tricks on protecting your privacy and information online, check out the Think Privacy – Your Cybersecurity Checkup webinar hosted by IT and university legal advisors. The webinar will take place on October 26th with guest speakers Mark Sly, Director, IT Security and Architecture, and Jennifer Sinclair, Coordinator, FOIP, University Counsel.
For more information on cybersecurity, see the Top 10 Cybersecurity Tips page and the new Privacy and Cybersecurity course on D2L