How To Maintain Your Cyber Health During Covid

Crisis Increases Crime Like Covid-19. What Are Ways To Take Care Of Your Cyber Health During Covid-19?

By EUNIZ BROWN

BEWARE OF PHISHING EMAILS AND TEXTS

COVID-19-related phishing attempts continue to increase.

Cyber criminals will attempt to con you into clicking on links and attachments in order to infect your device or steal your data.

What Can You Do?

Use caution if the tone of the message is urgent or threatening
Look for typos as they are often a sign of a potential phishing attempt
When in doubt, don’t click. Don’t click on links or attachments from senders you don’t know
Use trusted anti-malware software

What are you doing to be Covid-19 Cyber Safe and Healthy?

BEWARE OF MIRRORED WEBSITES

Many fake websites related to COVID-19 are created continually.

Cyber actors are using fake websites where they imitate health agencies or government departments to spread false information and play to pressure and vulnerabilities to scam people.

What Can You Do:

Check web addresses for spelling mistakes
Navigate to the page using a search engine instead of clicking on a provided link
DO NOT input your login credentials or credit card information unless you are sure the web page is legitimate

WORKING FROM HOME?

Cyber criminals want to find ways to exploit teleworking connections with so many people working outside of their organizations’ IT security perimeters.

What Can You Do:

Make sure you home wireless router is secure with strong passphrases
Do not share with family members or others your telework account
Turning off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS when not in use can reduce risk
Use trusted anti-malware software
Report suspicious activity to your IT security team immediately

EXTRA CYBER HEALTH TIPS

Here are some cyber health tips you can implement for to stay safe:

Use passphrases which are strings of words that are stronger than passwords and add a higher level of security
Keep software up-to-date right away as they often contain security patches
Use multi-factor authentication to unlock your device like a PIN and a fingerprint
Store your data securely by backing up your data and knowing how to retrieve it
Secure social media and email accounts using all the security and privacy settings