Do These Three Things to be Safe Online

Every day you do simple things to protect yourself. You protect your house when you lock your doors. You protect your children when you hold their hands to cross the street. You protect your health when you brush your teeth. These are simple but important activities you do every day, probably without a second thought.

You don’t have to be an IT professional to understand the basics of cybersecurity. At NNSA, we believe cybersecurity is a shared responsibility – everyone has a role to play. NNSA encourages you to take a few minutes today to complete the following three cybersecurity steps:

  • Change Your Password. Choose your three most sensitive accounts – accounts that you would not want ANYONE to access, like your bank account or email – and change your passwords. Make your passwords long, with a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols.
  • Update Your Software and Operating Systems. Cyber criminals can take advantage of known vulnerabilities in your devices, especially if you’re running old versions of the operating system that don’t incorporate security updates. Updating your programs and computers is the only way to patch these holes in your virtual perimeter.
  • Secure Your Social Media. Your mother’s maiden name, your high school mascot… Cyber criminals can use personal details from social media to answer security questions and break into your accounts. Review the sharing or privacy options on all of your social media platforms and ensure they are set to the strictest level. Only share with people you know.
Be a Human Firewall