6 Tech Tips to Help You Stay Safe Online in 2023
As 2023 gets underway, it’s a good time to remind you to carefully consider and prioritize staying safe and secure online.
As technology continues to play an increasingly central role in our daily lives, keeping online security top of mind is more important now than ever. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), nearly 300 million people were impacted by data breaches in 2021, the last year for which a report was available.
To help keep your online presence secure, we’ve outlined six tech tips to help you stay protected in 2023 and beyond:
- Update your devices and software. Make sure to keep your operating system, web browsers, and other software updated. Updates often contain patches to fix security vulnerabilities and flaws that cyber-attackers could use to access your device and compromise your data.
- Use strong passwords. Create unique passwords for all your online accounts and avoid using the same passwords across multiple accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate and store strong passwords for you. When it comes to passwords, size matters: it takes 62 trillion times longer to crack a 12-character password than a six-character password.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). To secure your online accounts with an extra layer of protection, consider enabling multi-factor authentication. This process involves entering a code sent to your phone or email, in addition to your password, to verify your identity. According to Microsoft, using MFA blocks 99.9% of account hacks on its tools and systems.
- Use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN is a tool that encrypts your internet connection and can help protect your online activity from being monitored or tracked. The use of a VPN can be especially important when using public Wi-Fi, which is often unsecured.
- Be careful when shopping online. Only shop on secure websites that use the https: security protocol and be wary of emails that claim to be from legitimate retailers that link to fake websites. These phishing emails usually contain offers that sound too good to be true, and the imposter sites steal your login and password information when you attempt to login.
- Use caution when clicking on links. Avoid clicking on links or attachments in emails that you weren’t expecting, and be cautious when downloading files from the internet, which can contain malware or viruses.
It’s easy to fall victim to online threats that put your data at risk so it’s important to take precautions to protect yourself and your personal information. These six tips are simple but can help you secure your online presence and personal information, both at work and at home on your personal devices.
Stay safe and secure online in 2023!
We’re the Outcome Engineers. MCPC is a global endpoint management company, founded in 2002, and our approach inspires not just endpoint defense, but business offense. By protecting your devices, bringing simplicity to endpoint management complexity, and empowering employee performance, we reduce your business risk and increases digital innovation. Our consultative approach creates a true partnership where your endpoints are just the starting point.