Cybersecurity Beyond October: Making Best Practices a Year-Round Habit

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) wraps up, remember that the information security practices we’ve covered during the month can become habits.  CAM has been a valuable opportunity to raise awareness, share knowledge, and highlight key protection methods against the ever-evolving threats from cybercriminals. 

Here are some of the final tips as we close out CAM:

• 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. There are several things you can do to lower your chances of being a part of this statistic, including avoiding the “Remember My Password” features, connecting over secure Wi-Fi, and monitoring your credit regularly. 
• Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets carry as much personal data as laptops. Make sure to lock your phone with a password, pattern or pin, install the “find my phone” tool, and never automatically connect to public Wi-Fi. 
• Good online security starts with such actions as using strong passwords (preferably passphrases), backing up your data using cloud storage like Office 365 and Box, and keeping all software updated. 
• If a communication (text, email, or phone call) has a sense of urgency, typos, or the request calls for some kind of transfer of information, item, or money, report the communication to phish@arizona.edu. 

There are many more cybersecurity best practices that can be found on the Information Security Office website, and it’s important to check regularly as cybercrime continues to grow, become more sophisticated, and harder to detect.