Tips to Keep your Home Network More Secure

Cyber criminals are always thinking of new ways to break into your computers, online accounts and steal your personal information and financial data.  Here are some simple tips that can help you to defend against them and stay safer online.

  • Backup your Documents folder and all directories you save your data in
  • Create an emergency boot disk for your computer and keep it in a safe place
  • Consider yourself a target for hackers
  • Keep your Operating System and all applications up-to-date, opt in for automatic updates
  • Install an AntiVirus program and opt in for automatic updates
  • Use Strong, Unique passwords for every device and website. Biometrics if supported.
  • Use multi-factor authentication on sites you store your private and sensitive data
  • Use your AV software to inspect USBs and other external devices which may be infected by viruses and malware.
  • Consider separate accounts on your computer for each individual
  • Always log out once you are done
  • Set your mobile devices to lock after a short idle time, and set it to require authentication for unlocking. Use something other than a four-digit PIN
  • Verify your privacy settings on mobile devices and social media
  • Take extra care when installing “Free software”, they always come at a price, most frequently by side installing adware, browser extensions or other software
  • Use a less-targeted browser such as Chrome or Firefox
  • Assume everything you put on a social networking site is permanent
  • Install apps only from trusted and official sources
  • Be very careful what apps you choose to install and pay special attention to what permissions each app is requesting. (for example: request access to contacts, photos, location)
  • Don’t make your photos or videos public on the Internet. Keep them visible only to people you know personally
  • Don’t save your credit/debit card information on websites
  • Be careful what you download, and ask questions about the site you are downloading from
  • Enable “click to play” for Flash on your browser, so contents need a click to play
  • Use OpenDNS for DNS name resolution
  • When banking and shopping, Make sure the site is safe. Look for web addresses with “https:”. “http:” is not secure
  • Never shop or bank using unsecured Wi-Fi networks
  • Sign up for text notification for all purchases
  • Always review your monthly statements
  • Setup a virtual credit/debit cards with purchase limits if your bank offers it
  • Provide a secondary email address and mobile phone number while signing up. If you get hacked, you can recover your password from there.
  • Use a VPN connection, when on a public network like Starbucks
  • Turn OFF Wi-Fi, Location Services, and Bluetooth when not in use
  • Avoid rooting or jailbreaking your device
  • Refuse to purchase poorly-protected devices or devices that can't easily be updated, or no security updates are provided by manufacturer
  • Delete old and inactive online accounts
  • Backup your Documents folder and all directories you save your data in

Information security is not possible without the your cooperation. You can have the best technology in the world protecting end-users in every way and still suffer a security breach!