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Happy Cyber Smart Week! 10-16 October 2022

As we continue to move more and more into a Digital day and age, the risks of cyber attacks also increase. So how do we keep safe online?

We have partnered with Cert NZ this Cyber Smart Week to bring you the best tips and tricks to help keep yourselves, your families and your businesses protected!

1 – Strengthen your password game – the longer your password game is the stronger it is! A good tip is to make up a passphrase of four or more random words, for example: CornSalsaWithChips. Not only are phrases easier to remember, they as strong as a password that uses a long mix of numbers, letters and symbols. A passphrase is a string of four or more random words. The more characters a password has the harder it is to crack.

Another tip to keep your passwords secure is with a password manager – it’s like an online vault that keeps all your logins in one secure place. That way you only need to remember one strong password to get into it – one we like to use is Keeper.

2 – Turning on 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) – this is a second layer of defense, so you can double down and protect your online accounts from attacks. It’s like a secret key for your online accounts that’s used on top of your password. It is usually a unique code sent to your phone or taken from an app that only you have access to. Having 2FA turned on means even if an attacker gets your login details, they still won’t get in. How 2FA Works.

3 – Update to full strength – Activate auto updates on apps and devices to dodge security weaknesses. Updates help to keep your apps and devices healthy. They aren’t just about getting the latest features available on apps and devices, they also protect you from any weaknesses that could let attackers in. The easiest way to do this is by going to settings and turning on automatic updates – then you just let it do its thing.

4 – Switch your personal social media settings to private to protect your personal info – Your personal information is gold for attackers. Make sure your social media settings are switched over to ‘Private’ or ‘Friends Only’ – this way you can control who sees what information you share and who you’re sharing it with. This not only protects yourself, but also your friends, family and followers from scams.

Many people might not realise but your social media profiles contains information that is valuable to attackers. They can use this information to try and guess your passwords, imitate you online or try and trick your friends and family. Making sure you keep your accounts so only people you know see what you share you are reducing the risk of experiencing a online security incident.

If you think you have been impacted by a security incident, report it to Cert NZ here, they have an incident response team who will help you identity the issue and provide advice and guidance.

Check out some extra tips here at Cert NZ!