Security Recommendations for Families – Securing Your Online Life in 2023

This blog post aims to help you be more secure online without making life too difficult. The amount of security you need depends on the threats you are protecting yourself against, but for most people, the main threats are someone trying to guess or trick them into giving away their password, or a disgruntled acquaintance breaking into their email/whatsapp/insta and releasing embarrassing information.

The post covers a variety of topics, including strong passwords, two-factor authentication, passkeys, phones and apps, phishing prevention, ransomware prevention, and identity theft.

Here are some additional tips for online security:

• Be careful about what information you share online. Don’t post your full name, address, or phone number on social media or other public websites.
• Use a different password for each website and app. Don’t use the same password for your email, bank account, and social media accounts.
• Keep your software up to date. Software updates often include security patches that can protect you from vulnerabilities.
• Be careful about what links you click on. Don’t click on links in emails or text messages from people you don’t know.
• Use a firewall and antivirus software. These programs can help protect your computer from malware.
• Be aware of phishing scams. Phishing scams are emails or websites that try to trick you into giving away your personal information.
• If you think you’ve been hacked, change your passwords immediately and contact your bank or other financial institutions.
• Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication to protect yourself from unauthorized access.
• Use passkeys whenever possible, as they are designed to be more secure than passwords.
• Lock your phone and require a password or pin to unlock it, so that if you lose it, your personal information is protected.
• Be careful about the apps you install on your phone. Only install apps from trusted sources and update them regularly.
• Remove any apps that you no longer use or need.
• Consider whether you need banking apps on your phone. If you can do your banking from a laptop, remove the banking apps from your phone.
• Check your web browser extensions and remove any that you don’t recognize, use, or haven’t used in a year.
• Take steps to protect yourself from phishing and ransomware attacks.
• Take action to protect yourself from identity theft, especially after a data breach.

By following these tips, you can help protect yourself from online security threats. By following these recommendations, you can help to keep your family safe online.