CISA is launching a new awareness program this month that encourages Americans to stay safe online. Here are four tips to boost your cybersecurity:
1. Use strong passwords and a password manager: Strong passwords that are long, random, unique, and include all four-character types, are critical for protecting data. Password managers are a powerful tool that helps create long, random, and unique passwords for each of your logins. They also store passwords, so you don’t have to remember each one of them.
2. Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA): Enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable MFA on all of your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media, and financial accounts.
3. Recognize and report phishing: Phishing emails, texts, and calls are the number one-way data is compromised. Use caution on unsolicited emails, texts, and calls. Also avoid sharing your personal information or credentials over the phone or email. Report phishing attempts to the appropriate authorities or IT department.
4. Update software: Ensure your software, like operating systems, antivirus software, web browsers, and applications, is up to date to ensure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Manually check for updates regularly if automatic updates are not available.