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This checklist is brought to you by Forward To Safety — cybersecurity built for real life.
Whether it’s a phishing scam, a stolen device, or a compromised account, Forward To Safety gives your family the tools and knowledge to recognize threats, respond with confidence, and recover fully.
Two capabilities. One trusted platform.
- Craig AI Library — Plain-language cybersecurity education for every age and tech level, built by Craig Peterson
- Reveal Scan: for family members who run a small business, a count of the programs on each Windows PC, how many are current, and how many need updating
Security experts agree: Every household will eventually face a cyber incident. Whether it’s a phishing scam, stolen device, compromised account, or malware infection — having a plan NOW protects your family, finances, and personal information.
□ Create a Family Digital Asset List
□ Assign Family Roles
□ Password Management
□ Backup Critical Data
NOT SURE HOW TO SET UP BACKUPS — OR WHETHER YOURS ARE ACTUALLY WORKING?
The steps above tell you what to do. But the “how” can feel overwhelming if you’ve never set it up before. Which cloud service is right for your family? How do you know if your backup actually completed? What does “test restoring from backup” mean in practice — and how do you actually do it?
The Craig AI Library answers those questions in plain language — walking you through what good backups look like for a household, how to verify they’re running, and what to check so you’re not discovering a problem for the first time during a crisis.
Explore the Craig AI Library at forwardtosafety.com
□ Update Contact Information
□ Enable Device Protection
□ Hold a Family Cyber Security Meeting (30 minutes, quarterly)
□ Establish Family Rules
KNOWING THE RULES HELPS — UNDERSTANDING WHY MAKES THEM ACTUALLY STICK
Most families have some version of “don’t click suspicious links” as a household rule. It’s a good starting point. The challenge is that “suspicious” is hard to define when you’ve never actually seen what a convincing scam looks like.
A teenager who’s never encountered a real phishing email doesn’t have the experience to recognize one when it lands in their inbox. A grandparent who sees a familiar logo has no way of knowing it took a scammer minutes to copy it. And a parent who says “just use common sense” is giving advice that’s genuinely hard to follow without some context for what the threats actually look like.
The Craig AI Library gives your family that context — clearly, without jargon, in a way that makes sense for every age group.
Built by cybersecurity expert Craig Peterson, it explains how real scams and threats work, what they look like, and what makes them convincing — so that the rules your family follows actually connect to something they understand.
Use it to:
- Show your family what a convincing phishing email actually looks like — and what gives it away
- Help everyone understand why certain rules exist, so they’re easier to remember when it matters
- Prepare for your quarterly family security conversations with current, real-world examples
- Answer “is this real?” or “should I click this?” questions as they come upUnderstanding turns rules into habits. Explore the Craig AI Library at forwardtosafety.com
□ Run a Family Drill (Twice Yearly)
□ Immediately investigate if you notice:
Device/Account Issues:
Financial Red Flags:
Communication Anomalies:
Physical Security:
WHEN A WEBSITE YOU TRUST HAS BEEN CHANGED
How a familiar website can end up carrying harmful code
Most families have a rule for this: stay away from shady websites. That rule works for shady websites. It doesn’t cover a site you’ve used for years, such as a local news site, your child’s school portal, a favorite store, or a recipe blog, after someone has changed it without the owner noticing.
A website is built in layers: the site software, plugins, themes, and ad systems. If one layer has a flaw that hasn’t been patched, someone can add code to the site. The site still looks and works the way it always has.
That added code can run as the page loads, before you click anything. It can try to install software on your device, show a fake sign-in page, or send you to a lookalike site.
Ads are a separate route. Ad networks place ads on reputable sites automatically, and a bad ad can get into that system and show up on a site that was never changed itself.
How familiar a site looks doesn’t tell you whether it has been changed. These habits don’t depend on appearance:
- Keep the browser, its add-ons, and the operating system updated on every device.
- If a familiar site suddenly asks you to install something, update something, or sign in again, close the tab and go to the site by typing its address yourself.
- If a pop-up says your device is infected, close the tab. Don’t call any number it shows.
Before you click an unfamiliar link, check where it really goes by hovering over it.
□ Don’t Panic — Act Methodically
□ Alert the Incident Leader immediately
□ Document everything:
For Compromised Accounts:
□ Change passwords immediately (on a DIFFERENT, clean device)
□ Enable/verify 2FA
□ Check account recovery settings (phone, email)
□ Review recent account activity
□ Log out of all devices/sessions
For Lost/Stolen Devices:
□ Use “Find My Device” to locate or lock device
□ Display a message with contact info on lock screen
□ If device cannot be recovered, initiate remote wipe
□ Contact phone carrier to suspend service
□ File police report (required for insurance claims)
For Suspected Malware:
□ Disconnect device from internet (Wi-Fi and ethernet)
□ Do NOT turn off the device (preserves evidence)
□ Isolate from other devices
□ Scan with updated antivirus on another device if possible
For Financial Fraud:
□ Call bank/credit card company IMMEDIATELY (24/7 fraud lines)
□ Request card replacement and account monitoring
□ Dispute unauthorized charges
□ Request a fraud alert or credit freeze
□ Document all fraudulent transactions
□ Create an Incident Log:
□ Check All Family Accounts:
□ Preserve Evidence:
□ Internal Notifications:
□ External Notifications:
□ Legal/Regulatory (If Applicable):
□ Secure All Accounts:
□ Clean Infected Devices:
□ Replace Compromised Hardware:
□ Monitor Financial Accounts:
□ Credit Monitoring:
□ Restore Data:
□ Update Security:
□ Ongoing Monitoring:
□ Document Costs:
FOR FAMILIES WITH A HOME BUSINESS: HAVING SOMEONE HANDLE YOUR IT IS NOT THE SAME AS HAVING CYBERSECURITY
If someone in your household runs or manages a small business, there’s a good chance they handle their own tech setup — or rely on a general IT provider who keeps things running. That covers a lot. What it often doesn’t cover is a deliberate look at cybersecurity specifically.
IT support and cybersecurity are different things. An IT provider is focused on keeping systems operational. Cybersecurity requires a different kind of attention: looking for software that hasn’t been updated and is leaving a known opening, settings that were configured incorrectly and are quietly exposing more than intended, or user accounts with access that was never removed.
Nobody has to have done anything wrong for these to be there. They tend to stay in place until someone checks for them specifically.
And when your home and business share a network, a device, or an email account, a compromise that starts personally can reach the business side faster than most people expect.
If your family includes a business owner, the Reveal Scan gives them counts, not jargon. See how many programs each Windows PC has, how many are current, and how many need updating. No credit card needed. The scan is on us. If you want step-by-step instructions afterward, that’s a paid report, and you’ll see the price before you decide.
□ What Happened?
□ What Went Well?
□ What Needs Improvement?
□ Strengthen Weak Points:
□ Revise Family Plan:
□ Schedule Next Steps:
□ Within Your Family:
□ With Your Network:
Immediate Actions:
Next time, before you click an unfamiliar link, check where it really goes by hovering over it.
Immediate Actions:
Immediate Actions:
Immediate Actions:
Immediate Actions:
Print and Post in Visible Location
Incident Leader Name: ____ Phone: ______
Website/Notes: __________
Tech Contact Name: ____ Phone: ___
Website/Notes: __________
Forward To Safety Support: forwardtosafety.com
Primary Bank: ____ Phone: ________
Website/Notes: __________
Secondary Bank: ___ Phone: ___
Website/Notes: __________
Credit Card 1: ____ Phone: ________
Website/Notes: __________
Credit Card 2: ____ Phone: ________
Website/Notes: __________
Phone Carrier: ____ Phone: ________
Website/Notes: __________
Email Provider: ___ Phone: ________
Website/Notes: __________
Local Police (non-emergency): ___ Phone: _______
Website/Notes: __________
Insurance Agent: ___ Phone: ___
Website/Notes: __________
Equifax: 800-685-1111 | www.equifax.com
Experian: 888-397-3742 | www.experian.com
TransUnion: 800-916-8800 | www.transunion.com
FTC Identity Theft: 877-438-4338 | https://www.identitytheft.gov/
IC3 (FBI): Phone: N/A | www.ic3.gov
Set calendar reminder for the 1st of each month:
□ Update all device software/apps
□ Review bank and credit card statements
□ Check credit monitoring alerts
□ Verify backup systems are working
□ Test one device’s “Find My” feature
□ Change 2-3 passwords (rotating through accounts)
□ Review family social media privacy settings
□ Check for suspicious emails in spam/trash
□ Update emergency contact list if needed
□ Brief family on any new scams in the news
Monthly check-in tip: Most families talk about security after something happens — not before. The Craig AI Library at forwardtosafety.com covers the scams targeting families right now. Use it to make your monthly conversation specific to current threats, not just a general reminder to “be careful.”
PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING: The time to prepare is NOW, not during a crisis.
NO BLAME, JUST ACTION: Create a family culture where reporting incidents quickly is rewarded, not punished.
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING: Good records protect you legally, financially, and emotionally.
SECURITY IS A FAMILY SPORT: Everyone plays a role. Everyone stays in the loop.
Cyber incidents are stressful, but having a plan transforms chaos into coordinated action. Review this checklist with your family quarterly, practice your response, and update your preparations as your family’s digital life evolves.
Your family’s cybersecurity isn’t a one-time project — it’s an ongoing commitment to protecting what matters most.
You just put together a family incident response plan. Before you file it away, consider two things:
Does your family understand the threats well enough to actually recognize them — or do they know the rules without the context that makes those rules useful?
If someone in your household runs a business, do they have a clear picture of their security status right now?
If either of those feels like an open question, this checklist prepares you for when something goes wrong. It doesn’t close the gaps that let things go wrong in the first place.
Cybersecurity education that actually makes sense.
Craig Peterson has spent decades making cybersecurity understandable for everyday people. The Craig AI Library puts that expertise at your fingertips — any time you need to understand a threat, answer a question, or prepare for your next family security meeting.
For family members who run a small business.
Count What’s on Your Computers → See how many programs each Windows PC has, how many are current, and how many need updating. No credit card needed. The scan is on us. If you want step-by-step instructions afterward, that’s a paid report, and you’ll see the price before you decide.
If you run it and never speak to us again, that’s a fine outcome.
Cyber incidents happen. Chaos doesn’t have to.
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