Today marks the tenth annual Safer Internet Day, an international event that aims to make the online community a safer, more respectful place.
To kick off the day, the National Cyber Security Alliance joined national experts from the public and private sectors at the National Press Club to discuss the critical need to educate consumers about online safety. Check out the discussion here.
In celebration of Safer Internet Day, Google also updated their Good to Know campaign with more tips and advice on how to protect yourself and your family from identity theft, scams and online fraud.
Here are some key tips:
- Use a unique password for each of your important accounts like email and online banking
- Use a long password made up of numbers, letters and symbols
- Set up your password recovery options and keep them up-to-date
- Don’t reply if you see a suspicious email, instant message or webpage asking for your personal or financial information
- Never enter your password if you’ve arrived at a site by following a link in an email or chat that you don’t trust
- Don’t send your password via email, and don’t share it with others
- Pay close attention when asked to sign in online
- Report suspicious emails and scams
- Keep your browser and operating system up to date
- Always keep an eye on what you click and download, including music, movies, files, browser plug-ins or add-ons
We encourage you to take a step back, think about your online presence, and understand how you can better stay safe and secure online.