Beware Cyber Scams

Especially with the holidays

SUBJECT: Best practices to be cyber smart and more secure online

Best practices to be cyber smart and more secure online

Cybersecurity is an important part of our culture and can enable you to accomplish more while keeping your data and identity protected.

Here are some tips to help you be safer online:

Phishing: This is usually in the form of an email, website, or text message that lures you into giving away confidential information about yourself or your organization.

How to avoid taking the bait?

• Inspect the sender’s email address and look for verifiable sender contact information. If in doubt, do not reply. Start a new email to respond.
• Avoid clicking on unexpected links and opening untrustworthy email attachments.

Scams: Tech scams often make you think you need to “fix” a nonexistent problem or will request a ransom payment. Always report when you suspect a scam.

How to protect yourself from a scam?

• Be aware of unsolicited tech support calls and error messages requesting urgent contact.
• Do not follow guidance to download software from an email or third-party website.

Devices and data: Protecting devices is important for safeguarding your emails, accounts, and data and avoiding identity theft. Out-of-date devices and software are a leading access point for attackers.

How to protect devices and data?

• Be skeptical of messages with links, especially those asking for personal information.
• Enable the lock feature on all your mobile devices and update software immediately.
• Enable multifactor authentication on your apps and accounts when available.

How to protect your identity?

• Use a password manager or consider going passwordless (using identification such as fingerprints, facial recognition, or hardware token code, instead of providing a password).
• When going passwordless is not an option, create strong passwords (at least 12 characters long but 14 or more is better; a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols).

Each of us plays an important role to help protect our organization from cyberthreats. Let’s be cyber smart together!

 {Information from shareable Microsoft Security Letter}

As easy tips are located to help you and the parish, they will be uploaded to this area.  Please check back.  If you have questions or are unsure, please ask someone you trust to help guide you!