October may be Halloween, but it’s also Cybersecurity Awareness Month – an important reminder to stay safe online and not let cyber threats haunt you.
Now in its 22nd year, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a global effort to promote safer digital practices for individuals and organizations alike. In particular, four essential habits can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats:
- Use strong passwords and a password manager. Strong passwords are long, random, unique and include all four-character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols). Password managers are a powerful tool to help you create strong passwords for each of your accounts.
- Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA). You need more than a password to protect your online accounts and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable MFA on all your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media and financial accounts.
- Update your software regularly. Ensuring your software is up to date is the best way to make sure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Regularly check for updates if automatic updates are not available.
- Recognize and report phishing and scams. Be cautious of unsolicited messages asking for personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or credentials with unknown sources. Report phishing attempts to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportingphishing@apwg.org and delete the message.
Fortunately, TDS has a product that can help. The TDS Internet Security Suite powered by F-Secure offers a variety of safety features for you and your family. It includes virus and scam protection, privacy VPN, ID monitoring, a password vault, and safe browsing measures.
The Internet Security Suite is free for 30 days and just $5.95 per month after that. Customers in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Utah can click here for more information, while customers in all other areas can visit us online here.
