How to stay safe when browsing / shopping online.
*SECURITY TIPS!
- ALWAYS make sure to update your operating system, your internet browsers and browser plugins!
- Only make purchases from well known websites.
- Always check that you are accessing a secure website (Https://)
- ALWAYS think before you click!
Good Internet browsing practices.
*STOP and THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK!
- Do not make any online purchases / access any banking websites on older devices.
- Always keep your device's operating system, internet browsers and browser plugins up to date.
- If you have been sent a link with an offer thats too good to be true, it probably is.
*SECURITY TIP!
Think before you click!
Always check that the sender is who they appear to say they are!
Hover over the link in the email to make sure it is going to the correct website.
Threat actors / scammers will try to fool you into sending legitimate emails or sms messages from your trusted contacts.
*SEE - Example Phishing Emails
*SEE - Example Smishing Text Messages
*SECURITY TIP!
Always make sure you are visiting a secure website (https://)
Never purchase any goods from a website that doesnt have a secure connection.
- Check the website has a https:// or padlock displayed in the address bar.
- REMEMBER - if it is too good to be true, it probably is!
*SECURITY TIP!
Be careful when joining a free wifi.
Some threat actors / hackers will set up their own wifi networks with credible names to fool people into connecting to them.
They will be clever and call their dubious wifi by a generic name eg 'free airport wifi' or 'free costa wifi'. Make sure to think before you join the wifi.
Try to not make any online purchases when using a free / unknown wifi.
*SECURITY TIP!
Consider purchasing and using a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
VPN provide a secure connection for your device and another service (eg website) when using a shared / open wifi connection.
*SEE - VPN Providers
*SECURITY TIP!
Setup Parental Controls to protect children from what content they can view online.
Use parental controls offered by your internet service provider to block children from accessing inappropriate content online.
This feature should be available via your routers online admin portal or app on your smart device.
Good Password management practice.
- Never reuse the same login credentials across multiple sites.
- If your details are leaked online due to a data breach with one company's website, threat actors / hackers will attempt to reuse the same credentials on another websites.
*SECURITY TIP!
ALWAYS USE a strong password / passphrase for each website!
A strong password should be
- over 12 characters in length.
- Contain no ascii characters eg '!&*()?-'
- Have a mixture of Uppercase and Lowercase characters.
- Contain some numeric characters / numbers eg 0-9.
- Not use sequential or duplicated Letter combinations eg abc, xyz. AA, ZZ.
- Not use sequential or duplicated numbers eg 123, 11, 22, 99.
You can also use Three Random Words and numbers / characters at the end eg
Woods-Glass-Temperature-98!
*SECURITY TIP!
Consider to use / buy a thirdparty password manager.
Consider to buy a password manager application so that you can use strong and unique passwords for each site but only need to remember one password to use them when requested.
You can also take advantage of using your browser to generate strong passwords and managed them for you once you have created and signed into your browser account.
Once you try to access a website your account details will be filled in automatically for you.
*SEE - how to create a internet browser account and what are the benefits.
*SEE - Thirdparty Password Manager providers.
*SECURITY TIP!
NEVER USE THE SAME PASSWORD across multiple websites!
Never use the same password and username across multiple sites.
If your account is compromised on one site due to a data breach, threat actors will try the same account details on multiple sites.
For even better protection try to use a different email account for your favourite website accounts. For example your
- Social media platforms.
- Bank accounts.
- Personal Email.
- Job / Career Sites.
Your login name / email is 50% of the account protection as hackers need to know your username and your password.
*SECURITY TIP!
ALWAYS USE (MFA) MULTIFACTOR AUTHENTICATION where possible.
Always take advantage of using MFA (Multifactor authentication) where possible.
MFA acts as a secondary check when allowing access to your account. You must know your account name, your account password and then be able to verify it is you by then entering a pin code that is sent to another device either via text message or email.
*SECURITY TIP!
NEVER SAVE YOUR PASSWORD when using a SHARED COMPUTER.
Only save your password on your own personal device.
If you save your password on a shared device, someone will be able to access your account or be able to view your password.
*SECURITY TIP!
NEVER SAVE YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION when using a SHARED COMPUTER.
Only save your payment information on your own personal device.
If you save your payment information on a shared device, someone will be able to access your payment details and use them elsewhere.
*SECURITY TIP!
Try not to overshare information online / maintain a small digital footprint.
Threat actors / hackers will use social engineering and gather information about you that has been made available online (eg on your social media accounts).
Don't make it easier for them by oversharing information and using your favourite holiday destination or pets name as your password.
*SECURITY TIP!
Sign up to an online service to alert you if your account has been impacted by any data breaches.
There are several websites that allow you to register the email address that you use and to see if it has been compromised in any data breaches.
Such as
https://monitor.mozilla.org/en
https://www.avast.com/hackcheck
SEE - What to do if your account has been involved in a data breach.
Always Backup Your Data (documents / images / photos)
- Keep your memories safe and backup your files and folders to another device eg external drive or to a cloud service.
- If your device is lost or stolen, you can still access your files from the backup source.
- If you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of ransomeware, you have a possibility to reverting to an earlier backup (before the attack happened).
*SECURITY TIP!
Automate your backups and regulary check that they are working.
Using a cloud service such as
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Apple iCloud
- Google Drive
- Drop Box
is an easier backup solution than relying on manually backing up data to a usb drive (that could also be lost or damaged).
*SECURITY TIP!
How to setup and use Microsoft OneDrive.
See - How to use Microsoft OneDrive.
*SECURITY TIP!
How to setup and use Apple iCloud
See - How to use Apple iCloud.
*SECURITY TIP!
How to setup and use Google Drive.
See - How to use Google Drive.
Common Computing issues
Click on the images below to help you resolve your issue.
Wifi Issues
How to resolve common Wifi connection issues.
Can be caused by driver issues / weak signals / airplane mode.
Sound and Microphone Issues
Having trouble hearing or being heard?
Can be caused by driver issues / loose cables / hardware faults / wrong device selected in settings.
Webcam Issues
People not able to see you on the call?
Loose cables / Driver updates / wrong camera selected / privacy filter.
Slow performance
What can cause your computer to be slow.
Too many Apps open / updates being installed in the backround / processes hogging the memory / scan running / Virus / Malware.