Cybersecurity is more important now than ever before. Use these tips to protect your information and identity while you navigate an increasingly digital world.

The world is becoming increasingly reliant on the internet to function, which is great for making many aspects of life easier and more efficient. However, this has also led to an increasing amount of cybercrimes by people who want to scheme and hack to steal people’s private information. To protect your computer and your personal information, be sure to follow these five tips:

1. Use strong and unique email passwords that aren’t obvious. The days of using “password123” or “[your last name]123” are over. Cybercriminals are smart, and if they can get into your email, they can use your information to rob you. Use complex and hard-to-guess passwords to make their jobs harder.

2. Use multiple email accounts. Don’t use the same email account for all your online activities. For example, don’t use the same email for your bank that you use for social media, and vice versa. The problem with using only one is that if cybercriminals access your email account, they gain access to all accounts connected to that email address.

3. Don’t use free Wi-Fi. Lots of places like Starbucks and doctors’ offices have free Wi-Fi, but to stay safe, don’t use it. Instead, use the hotspots on your phone, which are much more secure. In certain places like airports, there might be bad people waiting for you to connect to the public Wi-Fi so they can steal your information.

4. Use two-factor authentication and email encryption software, and watch out for phishing schemes. For example, if you receive an email from Netflix that says there’s an issue with your account, first see who the email is from to make sure it’s legitimate. Emails with broken English or other red flags should be avoided; clicking any links in a suspicious email could lead to malicious scripts being added to your computer. DON’T open attachments in emails unless you’re sure who they’re from.

5. Mark unwanted emails as spam instead of unsubscribing. Don’t just unsubscribe from annoying emails; instead, use the spam filters in your email so that you’ll stop receiving them in your inbox.

As a bonus tip: I recently downloaded Norton 360 with LifeLock to my computer, and I recommend that you do, as well. It protects both your computer and your identity.

If you have any further questions on cybersecurity or another topic, feel free to reach out to us. We may even make a video to answer it!