Did you know that as our online lives expand, the average person has gone from having just a few passwords to now managing upwards of 100? That’s 100 unique passwords to remember, if you’re using strong password habits. Password managers can save users the trouble of having to remember multiple passwords and make accounts safer by recommending strong, unique passwords and storing them all in one place.

Our Tips and Advice

Using an easy-to-guess password is like locking the door but leaving the key in the lock. Weak passwords can quickly be cracked by computer hackers. The good news is that strong passwords are one of the easiest ways to protect your accounts from compromise and reduce the risk of someone stealing sensitive information, data, money, or even your identity.

Strengthen your passwords with these tips:

1. Longer is stronger: Passwords with at least 16 characters are hardest to crack.
2. Hard to guess: Use a random string of mixed-case letters, numbers and symbols. If you need to memorize a password, create a memorable “passphrase” of 5 – 7 unrelated words. Get creative with spelling and/or add numbers or symbols.
3. One of a kind: Use a unique password for each account.

Use a Password Manager!

Remembering long, unique passwords for every account in our lives is impossible. Rather than write them down or reuse weak passwords, use a password manager.

Password managers generate complex and unique passwords for you, store them all in one place and tell you when you have weak, re-used passwords, or compromised passwords. They can also automatically fill credentials into sites and apps using a secure browser plugin. You only need to remember one master password—the one for accessing the password manager itself. (Tip: Create a memorable long “passphrase” as described above and NEVER write your master password down.)

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Strong passwords are a great start to cybersecurity, but they aren’t enough to protect against the sophistication of today’s cyber threats. That’s why this week we will focus on multifactor authentication (often abbreviated MFA or 2FA). Most people have heard of multifactor authentication, but many people don’t realize that multifactor authentication is an incredibly important layer of protection in keeping accounts secure.

Our Tips and Advice

MFA provides extra security by providing a secondary method confirming your identity when logging into accounts. MFA usually requires you to enter a code sent to your phone or email, or one generated by an authenticator app. Push notifications are also common methods of MFA. This added step prevents unauthorized users from gaining access to your accounts, even if your password has been compromised.

Follow these steps to turn on MFA

• Open your app or account settings
  • It may be called Account Settings, Settings & Privacy or similar.
• Turn on multifactor authentication
  • It may also be called two-factor authentication, two-step authentication or similar.
• Confirm
  • Select an MFA method to use from the options provided. Examples are:
    • Receiving a code by text or email
    • Using an authenticator app: These phone-based apps generate a new code every 30 seconds or so.
    • Biometrics: This uses facial recognition or fingerprints to confirm your identity.

Multifactor authentication is one of the best ways to protect against account takeovers, and it is one of the best things you can do to protect your email, banking, social media, online purchases, and identities!

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Phishing has become the go-to method of choice for attackers to social engineer their way into accounts and sensitive information. Phishing can be very difficult to spot! It’s important every individual stop and think before clicking on a link or opening an attachment and know how to spot red flags.

Our Tips and Advice

Phishing occurs when criminals try to get you to open harmful links or attachments that could steal personal information or infect devices. Phishing messages or “bait” usually come in the form of an email, text, direct message on social media or phone call. These messages are often designed to look like they come from a trusted person or organization, to get you to respond. The good news is you can avoid the phish hook and keep accounts secure!

Follow these top tips:

1. Recognize- Look for these common signs:
   • Urgent or alarming language.
   • Requests to send personal and financial information.
   • Poor writing, misspellings, or unusual language. However, did you know that attackers now use the same AI tools we do (like ChatGPT and Bing) to write very convincing phishing emails for them? Bad spelling and grammar are far less common these days. Don’t be fooled and don’t rely on just misspellings to spot a phish!
   • Incorrect email addresses, domain names, or links (e.g. amazan.com).

2. Report– If you suspect phishing, report the phish to protect yourself and others.
   • Know your organization’s guidance for reporting phishing.
   • For personal email accounts, you may be able to report spam or phishing to your email provider by right-clicking on the message.
3. Delete- Delete the message.
   • Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including any “unsubscribe” link. Just delete.

Attackers use phishing attacks to target personal accounts just as often than business accounts! Remember, that everyone benefits from practicing key cyber behaviors. Don’t forget to share this email and attached tip sheet with your family and friends and encourage them to participate in practicing cyber awareness!

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Did you know that approximately 2 in 5 people say they either “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” install software updates? One of the easiest ways to protect accounts and information is to keep software and applications updated. Updates are periodically released to fix software problems and provide security patches for known vulnerabilities. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, don’t hit the “remind me later” button. Take action to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals!

Our Tips and Advice

Keeping software up to date is an easy way improve your digital security. For added convenience, turn on the automatic updates in your device or application security settings! Set it and forget it!

Keep Software Up to Date with These Steps:

1. Check for notifications 
   • Devices and applications will usually notify you when the latest software updates become available, but it’s important to check periodically as well. Software updates include devices’ operating systems, programs and apps. It’s important to install ALL updates, especially for web browsers and antivirus software, or apps with financial or sensitive information.
2. Install updates as soon as possible
   • When a software update becomes available, especially critical updates, be sure to install them as soon as possible. Attackers won’t wait, and you shouldn’t either!
3. Turn on automatic updates
   • With automatic updates, devices will install updates as soon as they become available—Easy! To turn on the automatic updates feature, look in the device settings, usually under Software or Security.

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