Hi, this Frederic Farcy from TNTMAX and I want to welcome you to our final installment of our 2019 Cybersecurity Awareness video series that is part of “Cybersecurity Awareness Month”. I hope you’ve found these videos helpful and a good source of information on the topic of Cybersecurity.

While I have mostly focused our cybersecurity video series on your business and organizations, I want also wanted to make sure I touch on your personal cybersecurity. Cybersecurity start with you and what you do impact all aspect of it.

It is vital to protect your personal privacy and identity whether you are on your devices using social media, surfing the web, traveling, shopping, etc.

When using social media, limit what information you post. Don’t post addresses, phone numbers, or even information like where you like to stop for coffee. Hackers perform a step call information gathering that consist in gathering key information on the target they have in site (including, name, address, phone, kids name, habits, likes, etc.). The new age of social networking and information sharing overload has made the hacker and predators job a lot easier.

Homes have been broken into when homeowners post that they are away on vacation, when they will return and where they went, that is way too much information, so remember—less is more. Disable location services that allow anyone to see where you are and post your vacation photos once you are back home from your trip instead. Educate your children about these risks, they can post cool pics and do not have to share keep private info at the same time. Put a cover on all the devices that have a camera and assume someone could be turning on the camera and recording your while you are unaware. Same apply to all the device in your house like Alexa, Google and other voice activated device that
can be turn on remotely by hacker to listen in your conversation at home.

When traveling, lock and power off any devices when you’re not using them. Even if you only step away for a few minutes, someone can steal or misuse your information. Set your devices to lock after a short time and use strong PINs/passwords and biometric if your device supports it.

Disable auto connecting. Some devices will automatically seek and connect to available wireless networks or Bluetooth devices automatically. This instant connection opens the door for cyber criminals to remotely access your devices via “man in the middle attacks with their rogue access point”. Turn off these features so that you actively choose when and where you want to connect to a safe network.

Be aware that if you use charging stations found in airport it is possible that cybercriminals have rigged them to steal your information. Also, before you connect to a free public wireless hotspot, be sure to confirm the name of the network and exact login procedure. Do not perform any sensitive activities while connected on this network, like banking, shopping or connecting to your work, as information can be easily stolen and compromised.

It’s also important to protect yourself when shopping online. While it’s very convenient, scammers can trick buyers into paying for things they will never receive in order to steal their personal information and credit card info. When using a new shopping website, check out the reviews to see if any other consumers had negative experiences with the site, stop and do your own research before you go and give away your credit card. At checkout, only fill out the required fields and do not provide any additional information not required by the the vendor. Credit cards are the safest option for payment because they allow buyers to receive a credit if the product is not delivered or unsatisfactory.

Also, make sure the site’s web address has the extra “s” as in http”s”// and / or a closed lock icon depending on the browser you are using which indicates it is secure because they’re using an TLS certificate to help protect and encrypt your information.

I hope these weekly videos provided you with some good information during cybersecurity awareness month. As always, give TNTMAX a call or find us online for any additional information. We’re happy to help!