Seven Secure at Home Steps

Anti-Virus Software:
Anti-virus software helps detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from your computer. It’s crucial to keep your anti-virus definitions up to date, as harmful software can spread quickly.

Anti-Spyware Software:
Spyware is malicious software that tries to track your computer activity, hijack your web browser, and steal sensitive information like credit card numbers and passwords. Many antivirus software suites include anti-spyware software as a built-in feature.

Firewall:
A firewall blocks unwanted network traffic from reaching your internet-connected devices. Depending on your home internet setup, firewalls can be physical or software components. If you use a router, you already have a basic firewall in place. A software firewall on your PC not only blocks incoming traffic but also tries to prevent outgoing traffic from unauthorized, potentially harmful software.

Keep all your devices updated:
If you do not update your computer, smartphone, personal assistants, or other internet-connected devices, harmful software can infect them. Enable auto-updates when possible.

This is important to ensure you can recover important data if your device is broken, compromised, lost or stolen.

When you create a new password, use a combination of upper-case and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols if possible. Where applicable, always try to make your password at least eight characters in length. One method to create a password is to think of a sentence you can easily remember. Take the first or last letters of the words in the sentence and a number that you can easily remember that is not associated with you. For example, “Uncle Bill drove his 1937 Ford every Sunday” would turn into the password “UBdh37FeS”.

Multi-Factor-Authentication (MFA) is a security method that requires users to provide two or more different verification factors to prove their identity, adding layers of security beyond just a password. These factors fall into categories such as something you know (like a password), something you have (like a phone or security key), or something you are (like a fingerprint or facial recognition). By requiring multiple independent proofs, MFA significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access if one factor is compromised.

Phishing scams attempt to steal your sensitive information by luring you to an online form. Phone calls, email, and texting have become the most widely used methods of enticing individuals to these scams. If any of the following are true, you should immediately raise your suspicions:

Messages ask you to provide any sensitive information, such as your social security number, financial information, or username/password.
There is a sense of urgency in the e-mail such that if you don’t act, there will be consequences.
Messages that contain suspicious links. Pay particularly close attention to letters that look like numbers in links. Be suspicious of any government links that do not end in “.gov”. (Do not click on these)
You are presented with a deal that is too good to be true.
Generic greetings that do not state your name, and if you do not know the sender.
Unsolicited attachments in e-mails. (Do not open these)

NOTE: Artificial Intelligence allows malicious actors to create very realistic phishing messages that use realistic images, voice and data that they can pull from social media and the internet. Always verify the sender when you receive anything suspicious.

Use Security Software