Whether it’s school work or simply chilling at home, most people are on some internet-connected device throughout the day. But how many people keep our information safe?
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness of cyber threats and influence the public to be safer online. The average person has access to multiple devices and spends many hours a day online, but some things can be done that will help keep our cyber presence secure.
“We want to make sure you guys are being safe and careful,” digital learning coach Nicole Lotz said. “Some ways to be cautious is to make sure that you know what you’re clicking on, and you understand the things you are accepting when you sign in to things. Understanding that you don’t want to share your password or any personal information that you don’t want others to have out there.”
According to America’s Cyber Defense Agency, four things can be done to stay safe online.
- Number 1: use strong passwords that are typically long, random, and unique, and include all four character types (lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols).
- Number 2: turn on 2-factor authentication.
- Number 3: report phishing scams.
- Number 4: update your software regularly.
3D modeling and animation teacher Demas Lamas uses at least one of these four things.
“I use 2 factor authentication a lot,” Lamas said. “That’ll send a notification to your phone or to your device if you use other apps, and then you can be able to verify that it’s you. Instead of just, you know, somebody just has your password, but without the 2 factor authentication they can just get into your account.”
