Part four of Campus Technology Services' National Cybersecurity Awareness Month series will cover personal devices and how to keep them safe.
Personal devices can be defined as any device that we own that is used for personal business or entertainment. Examples of personal devices are PCs, laptops, and smartphones. Because these devices connect to the internet and are used for so many things in everybody's day-to-day lives, they are common targets for malicious groups to attack. Sometimes they target devices to steal accounts or bank details. Other times they target devices to gain access to home networks to snoop or use them to attack other groups.
Because there are many possibilities should a malicious actor gain access to your personal devices, it is important to secure them and use them in a way to minimize risk to them. By considering the following you can help to protect your personal devices.
- Keep your personal devices current with any available updates. Keeping your operating systems and apps up to date helps close vulnerabilities that malicious groups use to infect your computer.
- Install an antivirus program. Having an antivirus installed on your personal devices can help catch any software that is doing suspicious things, stopping it before it can cause harm.
- When not using your personal device, lock it with either a password, PIN or fingerprint scan. By keeping your device locked when unattended, you can prevent people from snooping on it or installing unwanted software.
- Verify that programs are trustworthy before installing them. If you’re asked to install software on your personal device that you’ve never heard of, research it before installing it. Sometimes malicious software can be disguised as helpful software.
- Be careful with public Wi-Fi connections. Public Wi-Fi connections should not be fully trusted since anyone can access them, so do not input sensitive data while connected to one.
- If your device has Bluetooth capabilities, turn Bluetooth off when not in use. It is possible to use open Bluetooth connections maliciously, so the best way to protect yourself is to have yours off when you don’t need it.
By following these tips, you can help keep both your personal devices and yourself safe. If you would like to learn more, please view this LinkedIn Learning video on Computer and Internet Safety.
-- Submitted by Campus Technology Services