Seven Simple Steps to Cyber Security

Cybercriminals are especially busy this time of year as online shopping climbs sharply for the holidays. Stealing your information means quick cash from draining your bank accounts or charging to your credits, to using your identity for filing fraudulent tax returns. Follow these steps to keep your money and accounts safe:

1. Avoid unprotected Wi-Fi, like free public hotspots.
2. Shop at well-known online stores, looking for the “s” in “https” in the web URL.
3. Use security software on all your devices, this will protect your from viruses and malware.
4. Be careful of links coming from sources you trust, instead go directly to their website so you can avoid any phishing scams.
5. Be unique with your passwords, using more than 10 characters and including letters (upper and lowercases), numbers, and special characters.
6. Password protect your sensitive information, and add encryption if possible.
7. Use several authentication factors, including a one-time-use code sent for logins in addition to your username and password.