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Take your online security to the next level this Cyber Smart Week
CERT NZ’s Cyber Smart Week is back with four simple steps to take your online security to the next level.
Even if you work in tech no-one is immune to cybercrime. As the time we’re spending online increases, so do the security risks. CERT NZ’s latest data shows that online security incident reports are up 48% from this time last year. These incidents are impacting our finances, our friends, family and workplaces. With these steps in place, the risk of experiencing an incident is much lower, and if you are impacted, having these steps in place will help reduce the impact.
Keep your family and friends safe – share these tips and help raise awareness this Cyber Smart Week!
- Strengthen your password game
Long, strong and unique passwords are harder to crack.
Up your online security game with long, strong and unique passwords for each account – 15 characters or more is key!
It can be tricky coming up with strong passwords, so try making passphrases instead – a random phrase of four or more words. They’re easy to remember but hard for attackers to crack. For example, BeastModeNowActivated
- Power up by turning on two-factor authentication
Keep attackers out of your online accounts with a second layer of defence.
Double down and protect your online accounts from attacks with two-factor authentication (2FA). It’s like a secret key for your online accounts that’s used on top of your password.
It’s 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.
Turn on two-factor authentication
- Update to full strength
Activate auto updates on apps and devices to dodge security weaknesses.
Updates help keep your apps and devices healthy. Updates 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.
Update your devices and software
- Boost your privacy defence
Switch social media settings to private to protect your personal info.
Your personal information is gold for attackers. Make sure your social media privacy 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.
Report it
If you, or someone you know, experiences an online security incident, report it to CERT NZ. They’re here to help New Zealanders protect and recover from online security threats and incidents.
www.cert.govt.nz/report
For more information on Cyber Smart Week, visit www.cert.govt.nz/cybersmartweek
