Are you using the internet safely?

As our lives become more connected online through mobile phones and social networks, it’s important to educate ourselves about internet security and the threat of cyber-crime.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and the Government of Canada has launched the Get Cyber Safe national public awareness campaign, which provides helpful information and tips on how to keep you and your family safe online. Here’s a few highlights from the campaign that we think you might find particularly useful:

Creating and Using Passwords

• Make sure your password has at least eight characters and avoid using common words that can be found in a dictionary
• Use different passwords for different accounts, change your passwords often, and commit them to memory
• Avoid using automatic login features that save your username and password
• Password protect every device

Online Banking and Shopping

• Choose strong passwords for your banking and online investment accounts and keep them private
• When making transactions online, look for the lock symbol on the website or “https://” at the beginning of the website address, which indicates that the site is encrypted
• When you’re banking online, never use public Wi-Fi or public computers

Social Networks

• Check the privacy and security settings of your social network and use them to control who sees what
• Never include your phone numbers, email address, home address, work details, or any other personal information on your profile page
• If someone you don’t know tries to “friend” you, ignore it
• Before you post pictures, think about whether or not they’re appropriate or giving away too much information about you

For more tips and information on how you can protect yourself from cyber risks, visit the Get Cyber Safe website at www.getcybersafe.gc.ca.

Also, check out this pamphlet with useful Cybersafety tips for your wireless device.

Patricia is a regular contributor to RedBoard