Steps to Keep Your Devices Safe on the Road

Keep Your Software Up to Date

One of the most critical cybersecurity tips to mitigate ransomware is patching outdated software, both the operating system and applications.

Use Anti-Malware Protection & Firewall

Your firewall is defensive hardware/software that screens out hackers, viruses, and other malicious activity from getting into your system from the internet.  

Strong Passwords & Password Management Tools

1. Strong passwords are critical to online security. The truth is passwords are essential in keeping hackers out of your data! 
2. Look up the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) 2017 for the new password policy framework.
3. Manage your passwords using a password management tool like 1Password.

Two-Factor or Multi-Factor Authentication

Two-factor or Multi-factor authentication is an additional layer to your security to the standard password method of online identification.

Watch Out for Phishing Scams – suspicious of emails, phone calls, and flyers.

Phishers pose as someone with the ulterior motive of tricking the recipient to giving away credentials, opening attachments, or getting them clicking on malicious links that infect their systems, and these often lead to ransomware attacks.

1. Bottom line – Don’t open any email from those you don’t know.
2. Check all links to be sure they go where you think they do. Read carefully — sometimes there may be only a single character change. 
3. Be suspicious and always check who the sender is and where it came from and if there are grammatical errors.
4. Malicious links can come from infected friends. So, be extra careful!

Protecting Your Sensitive Personal Identifiable Information (PII).

Keep all your Personal Identifiable Information (PII) safe and secure. Cybercriminals use this information to identify or locate an individual. Personally, Identifiable Information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, IP addresses, GPS data (location details), or any other physical or digital identity data.

Securely Use Your Mobile Devices

1. Create a long and robust mobile passcode – Strive for 16 characters in length. 
2. Only install apps from trusted sources.
3. Update all your Devices – Cybercriminals love to use unpatched vulnerabilities in older operating systems.
4. Never send sensitive information through electronic means. 
5. Use the apps Find my iPhone or the Android Device Manager to prevent theft and ease recovery.
6. Conduct regular mobile backups using iCloud or Enabling Backup & Sync from Android

Backup Your Data Regularly

1. Proper Backup, your data is often an overlooked step in personal online security. I recommend that you follow this simple rule called the 3-2-1 backup rule. 
2. Primarily, that means keeping three copies of your data on two different types of media (local and external hard drive) and a minimum of one copy in an off-site location (cloud storage).

Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi

I recommend using your cell network if you don’t have a Private VPN when security is essential.

Watch for Changes: Review Each of Your Online Accounts & All Credit Reports Regularly.

1. It’s more critical than consumers safeguard all of their online accounts and monitor their credit reports. 
2. Almost all the credit bureaus offer a credit freeze. It is one of the most effective ways for you to protect your personal credit information from getting into cybercriminals’ hands.