Cybersecurity Tips for Staying Safe Online
With so much of our lives spent online, how can we make sure we are staying safe out there in cyberspace? We can connect with friends, make purchases, arrange grocery deliveries, conduct financial transactions, and even work digitally. It’s important to make sure that you are keeping your information secure online. Here are some tips to help you stay cybersecure:
Create a Strong Password
Don’t use the same password for all of your online accounts. It’s understandable to want to use one password for everything (it would surely save a lot of trouble thinking of strong enough passwords), but the problem with that is that cybercriminals know our tendency to opt for the easy route. So when they obtain a password for one account, they’ll try it for all accounts. This is why it’s so important to create strong, unique passwords for each account you access online. That way if a cybercriminal gets their hands on a password that was compromised by a site’s security breach, they won’t also have the password to your financial accounts. Your digital banking password should always be different from anything else.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor or two-factor authentication is used as an added means to verify your identity when there is an attempt to access your online accounts, particularly if the attempt comes from a device that is different from the one you normally use. Multi-factor authentication usually requires you to enter a time-sensitive code that is sent to you before you are able to complete your login attempt. For your Robins Financial digital banking account, you may be prompted to receive a Secure Access Code (SAC) to the phone number on file for your account. This extra step in the verification process provides an added level of security that makes it far more difficult if someone else is trying to get into your accounts. Multi-factor authentication is incredibly beneficial for any accounts you access online, not just for your Robins Financial digital banking accounts. Enable this feature on every account possible so you can take your account protections to the next level.
Utilize Biometric Features
Most smart devices and apps have biometric features available, such as fingerprint scanning or facial recognition. Fingerprint identification enables you to set up touch authentication that scans your fingerprint before allowing access to the device or app. Facial recognition technology allows the device or app to scan your facial features to verify that you are the one attempting to login. Fingerprint and face scanning technology prevent anyone else from accessing your device and the information that may be stored on it, such as account login credentials or other sensitive data. No matter how strong you make your password, there is still a possibility that someone else could crack it. But your face and fingerprints are entirely unique to you, and impossible to replicate. Take advantage of biometric security features whenever the option is available to increase the security on your accounts.
Review Privacy Settings
The level of security you create with your privacy settings online determines how much of your information is accessible and by whom. Your location settings, for example, can allow people to see where you are, and cybercriminals may use that information to their advantage. Review and update your privacy settings regularly on each of your social media profiles and other online accounts you have.
Strengthen Your Security Questions
Security questions are used to help you reset or recover your password in case you forget or in the event your account becomes compromised. You should make sure the questions and answers you choose aren’t anything that can be easily found online. Even when you don’t think you’re sharing personal information, you still could be. Chain posts frequently circulate on social media that include information like the name of the street you grew up on, children or pet names, your mother’s maiden name, the year you were born, etc. While these types of posts may seem harmless, it’s not fun and games when this information falls into the wrong hands. Cybercriminals monitor online activity, and can use these posts to gather answers to common security questions. Avoid sharing these types of posts or information online. If possible, change your security questions and answers to something that is not as easily accessible, thus harder to guess for cybercriminals attempting to crack your accounts.
Never Share Your Information
Above all, the most important thing you can do to protect your information online is to never share it with anyone else. This is the best way to ensure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. You should never share your digital banking username or password, account number, Secure Access Codes, security questions, or any other account information or identifying information with anybody under any circumstances. Even if someone contacts you claiming to be from your credit union. Robins Financial will never contact you over the phone, in a text message, on social media, or by any other means to request this information from you. We do not need it to verify you. Any attempt to get this information is a fraudulent attempt and should be reported to us immediately.
At Robins Financial, the safety and security of our members is a top priority. Keeping your accounts protected is even easier when we work together, which is why it’s so important to be vigilant with protecting your information online. Review our Security and Fraud information for more tips, and watch our Scams and Fraud playlist on YouTube. To learn more about how we protect our members every day and how you can protect yourself, give us a call or stop by any of our branch locations.