As the Christmas holidays approach, it’s important to keep our online activities safe and secure both in work and at home.
To celebrate 10 days until Christmas, here’s our top tips for staying safe online during the festive season.
1. Beware of prices that are too good to be true
Be vigilant when shopping online to protect your identity and financial information. If a deal looks suspiciously good, be cautious. Scammers may use such ‘bargains’ as bait to lure you into revealing your personal and banking details.
Keep safe: Stick to deals from retailers you already trust. If a new retailer tempts you, check its reviews on Trustpilot and ensure it uses HTTPS (look for the padlock symbol). Use a ‘Domain age checker’ tool to see how long the site has been around; a new site could be a red flag.
2. Using a VPN in public places
Public Wi-Fi networks may not be secure, and someone could potentially snoop on your online activities and steal your personal information or login details.
Keep safe: When working on public Wi-Fi, connect to the University VPN using the Cisco AnyConnect/Secure client on either your work device or personal devices. While connected to the VPN, your device becomes part of the University network, providing extra protection. You can also install this VPN onto your phone and tablet. Remember, don’t travel with or access export-controlled data while using the VPN abroad without taking proper precautions.
3. Update your data and devices
Turn on automatic updates on all your devices, and backup any important files to Microsoft OneDrive to protect your data.
Keep safe: Updating data and devices is crucial as it helps protect against potential security threats, ensures optimal performance, and provides access to the latest features and improvements.
4. Prevent phishing
Don’t get caught in a scam. Keep your personal details private and be careful about which sites you open links from.
Keep safe: Don’t reply to or click on links in unexpected emails, texts, or social media messages. If you're prompted to provide details or sign in, it's safer to visit the site directly as the message could be a potential scam.
5. Protect your devices from theft and loss
Keep your devices secure and try not to lose them. Ensure that your email accounts are protected by strong, unique passwords. A strong password can be set up by combining upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters; making it at least 12 characters long; and ensuring it’s not a common word or easily guessable information like your name or birthday. An alternative is to select three random words concatenated together.
Keep safe: Using strong, unique passwords, enabling device tracking features, and physically securing the device in a safe location will help protect your data in the event of it being lost or stolen.
6. Beware of malicious software
Not using antivirus software and opening malware can put your device at risk, potentially leading to data loss, privacy breaches, or your device being controlled by cybercriminals.
Keep safe: Make sure you’re using good antivirus software on personal devices, which is set to update regularly, and do not download or run any non-reputable software.
7. Protect your home network from cyber attacks
If cyber criminals attack your home network, they could steal your data, cause financial losses, and disrupt your systems.
Keep safe: Take steps to secure your home network against potential cyber attacks by making sure the latest software is installed on devices connected to your home network, including smart doorbells, media players, NAS systems, and home automation technology.
8. Protect your credit and debit cards
Take precautions to safeguard your credit cards and debit cards.
Stay safe: The best way to protect your credit cards is by using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, regularly checking your account for suspicious activity, and being cautious where and how you use your cards, especially online.
9. Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible
Even if you've always looked after your passwords they can still be stolen, sometimes through no fault of your own, such as a data breach or phishing scam.
Keep safe: Taking the time to set up two-factor or multi-factor authentication for your personal accounts helps to keep cyber criminals out of your accounts, even if they know your passwords.
10. Be cautious of oversharing on social media
During the festive season, it's essential to be mindful of oversharing on social media to maintain your cybersecurity. Posting details about your holiday plans, gifts, or travel arrangements could expose you to risks. Minimising your online footprint will make it more challenging for cybercriminals to build a profile on you to commit fraud or perform targeted attacks on your accounts.
Keep safe: Consider limiting the information you share online and adjusting privacy settings on your social media accounts. Be cautious about revealing travel dates or specific locations in real-time. By minimising your online footprint during the holidays, you reduce the risk of unauthorised access to your personal information.