{"id":4108,"date":"2019-10-31T16:02:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T20:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/?p=4108"},"modified":"2019-11-04T08:28:38","modified_gmt":"2019-11-04T13:28:38","slug":"cybersecurity-awareness-own-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/2019\/10\/31\/cybersecurity-awareness-own-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity Awareness: Own IT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Own,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keep Social Networking, Privacy Settings, and Mobile Apps Secure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Article by: SANS Security Awareness<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram,\nor Snapchat or messaging platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, or Skype allow us to\nshare personal updates while communicating with friends and co-workers across\nthe globe. While these convenient technologies keep us connected, are you\nputting yourself at risk for cyber attackers to watch and learn what you are\ndoing? How should you conduct yourself online? Are you downloading mobile\ndevice apps that put you at risk?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Own your security.<\/strong> Here are a few tips to help you leverage these technologies safely and securely to stay protected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passwords<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shield yourself and your data. The best way you can protect\neach of your individual social networking accounts is to implement a strong,\nunique passphrase for each account. A passphrase is simply a long password made\nup of a collection of multiple words, making them both easier to type and\nremember. For example, instead of using \u2018Password123<\/strong>\u2019, an effective\npassphrase might be \u2018SummerFootballUnicorn!<\/strong>\u2019. Using a unique passphrase\nfor each account ensures that if one account is hacked, your other accounts\nremain secure. Can\u2019t remember them all? Consider using a password manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor, easy-to-guess passwords are one of the most common\nways cyber attackers can hack into and take over your social networking\naccounts. Once they\u2019re in, they can gain access to your contacts, your private\ninformation, photographs, and so on. These security measures can also help\nprotect your information if your devices are lost or stolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further protect yourself, always enable multi-factor\nverification (sometimes referred to as two-step verification or two-factor\nauthentication) whenever it is available. Multi-factor authentication is when\nyou are granted access only after you have successfully provided two or more\npieces of evidence, such as your password AND a unique code generated by your\nsmartphone or texted to you via messaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enable Privacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you choose to post information about yourself online, it is good practice to assume any information you post could eventually become public. Avoid communicating about sensitive or private details about yourself. It is also wise to avoid posting any images of yourself that you wouldn\u2019t want someone like your parent or employer to see. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you register for a\nsocial networking site, your first step should be to enable and customize your\nprivacy controls. While it may help, keep in mind that these controls can be\nconfusing, they might change often, and they may not fully protect your information.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t assume that once\nyou\u2019ve established these privacy settings that your account is fully protected.\nHaving the most up-to-date security software, web browser, operating system and\napps is the best defense against viruses, malware and other online cyber\nthreats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything you Post Could be Used Against You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more information you post about your personal life, the\neasier it is for a cyber attacker to customize an attack against you. For\nexample, if you post extensive information about your family, the hobbies you\nenjoy, or your upcoming vacation or work trip, a cyber attacker could harvest\nall of those specific details and create a phishing email or phone call that\nspecifically targets you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you were to post about your favorite pastime, such as baking,\nthe cyber attacker could craft a phishing email with a special promotion for a\nnew mixing bowl set. In this email, the attacker could include an attachment\nthat has a 50% off coupon for your favorite baking supply brand. What you don\u2019t\nrealize is the attachment included in that email is actually infected. When you\nopen the attachment to print it out, it silently infects your computer, giving\nthe cyber attacker total control of your system. Keep this in mind when you get\nan email about a fantastic vacation similar to the one you just took, or a\nfantastic deal concerning one of your favorite hobbies. If it seems too good to\nbe true, it probably is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be an Advocate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be aware. Keep track what your friends and coworkers within your\nnetwork post about you. It isn\u2019t rude to ask them to be considerate of your\nprivacy. If you feel as though something they post is inappropriate or you feel\nas though it shares too much information about yourself, kindly ask them to\nremove the content. You could also report it to the website’s abuse department,\nif you\u2019d prefer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In return, practice the same level of consideration of what you\npost about your friends and coworkers on your social networking sites. It would\nbe good practice to ask them if you have their permission to post a picture or\nshare details you have of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third-Party Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your mobile devices are just as vulnerable as your PC or laptop.\nAs much as you want to trust an app, take a moment to read the fine print. Many\nsocial networking sites or mobile device apps also support third-party\napplications. Inspect the details when downloading an app or registering for a\nnew network. Only install applications from trusted sources and only install\nthe apps you truly think you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get into the habit of checking the ratings, reviews, and\npermissions of any app before you choose to install it. It could be a big red\nflag if an app is very new, has few or negative reviews, or very few downloads.\nIt would be in your best interest to not install it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often times, you might\ndownload an app for a specific, short-term purpose, such as planning a\nvacation, or a home renovation. Conduct regular audits on your apps. If you no\nlonger need an app, uninstall it or disable its access to your social\nnetworking profile, as it could still be collecting data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Suspicious<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much like email phishing\nattacks, cyber attackers may attempt to trick you on your own social networking\nsites. A common attack method is when a cyber attacker hacks into a friend\u2019s\nsocial networking account and pretends to be that friend online. They may send\nyou an urgent request, such as being mugged or stranded while on vacation and\nneeding money sent right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you receive any odd or suspicious messages online from a friend, proceed with caution and be careful how you respond. Do not reply directly via their social media account, as you will be communicating directly with that cyber attacker. Instead, call your friend on the phone to confirm if he or she truly posted the message and needs your help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit VSU Division of Information Security website for additional information.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keep Social Networking, Privacy Settings, and Mobile Apps Secure Article by: SANS Security Awareness Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Snapchat or messaging platforms like Slack, WhatsApp, or Skype allow us to share personal updates while communicating with friends and co-workers across the globe. While these convenient technologies …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":4111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[357,3],"tags":[242,248,166,81],"class_list":["post-4108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security","category-tips","tag-cyber","tag-cybersecurity","tag-phishing","tag-security"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/10\/ncsam2019_logoB.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pau9Jr-14g","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4108"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4138,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4108\/revisions\/4138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}