Protect your personal data - Learn to better protect yourself online
Why you need to stay alert
With the internet a fundamental part of daily life, it is inevitable that we will all witness an attempt to defraud us of data or money at some point during our lifetime. Many attempts to defraud appear legitimate and may not always have an apparent direct consequence therefore it is important to be vigilant and stay alert to anything suspicious.
If you suspect your data may be at risk it is imperative to you contact us as soon as possible.
Good online practice:
- Avoid clicking on links or attachments: cyber criminals do a good job of tricking people into clicking on links supposedly from their bank, utilities providers, tax service and other legitimate organisations. Think before you click – spelling errors, email addresses that don’t seem right, and out-of-the blue communications should be treated with caution.
- Create strong passwords: we are all aware of the advice but do we follow it? Use unique, complex passwords with a combination of lower and upper-case letters, numbers and symbols and do not use the same password across your accounts. Do not choose passwords that can be easily guessed and make sure to change then often.
- Keep all software on your PC up-to-date: in an ever changing environment, software updates correct potential vulnerabilities and keep cyber criminals at bay. Do not ignore these notices.
- Ensure that you have a robust and up-to-date internet security package running: all PCs will come with a free security package; do not let it lapse without replacing. It is important to note security packages will not provide 100% protection and should not substitute other protective measures.
- Set Firm Privacy Settings: regularly revisit the privacy settings on each of your social media accounts, including what information you share publicly and with friends. You'll be safest only allowing friends to see your posts, comments and profile information. You should also avoid logging into other websites with your social media credentials. You may see "Sign Up With Facebook" or "Sign Up With Google" options, for instance, which is convenient but in doing so you are sharing passwords and increasing access points to your data.
Please remember that all information stored online will remain online and could be compromised; your data is valuable and should not be shared unnecessarily.