BBB offers advice during National Cyber Security Month

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.kwkt.com/news/bbb-offers-advice-during-national-cyber-security-month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) and between data
breaches, cloud storage privacy issues, and bugs compromising personal
passwords, identity theft protection is on the forefront of many people’s
mind.

This year, Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Central, Coastal, Southwest
Texas and the Permian Basin is partnering with National Cyber Security
Alliance (NCSA) and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) to promote the
“STOP. THINK. CONNECT.” campaign. STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is an online
awareness campaign that offers advice for all internet users to stay safe
and secure.

Cybercrime comes in many forms—online identity theft, financial fraud,
hacking, email spoofing, information forgery, and intellectual property
crime. It can wreak havoc on victims’ lives and at its worst, cybercrime
can lead to financial ruin. American consumers reported losing over $1.6
billion to fraud overall in 2013, according to the Federal Trade
Commission’s annual report.

BBB encourages you to take these extra security measures to protect
yourself against identity theft and other cybercrimes during National Cyber
Security Month:

Keep a clean machine. Whether it is a PC, mobile device or laptop, make
sure security software is current and up-to-date. Having the latest
software on all devices can be one of the best defenses against viruses,
malware and other online threats.

Protect personal information. Shred all statements and applications you get
in the mail that you don’t want to keep, including credit card
applications, insurance forms, financial statements, health forms, and
billing statements for utilities and phone service.

Change passwords for all online accounts regularly. When changing your
password, make it long, strong and unique, with a mix of upper and
lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. By keeping various passwords on
your accounts you lessen the risk of multiple accounts being compromised.

Steer clear of suspicious texts, emails and links. Unsolicited emails and
pop-up ads can be full of computer viruses designed to steal usernames and
passwords from your computer. Don’t give in to curiosity. Close or delete
the message.

Connect with care. Use caution when logging on to public Wi-Fi hotspots and
send personal information only to websites that are fully encrypted.

Stay current. Keep pace with new ways to stay safe online. Check trusted
websites for the latest information, and share with friends, family and
colleagues to encourage them to be web-wise. You can find your BBB on
Facebook or Twitter for the latest scam alerts and information. You can
also find helpful consumer information and tips at watchyourbuck.com.

Report it. If your identity has been stolen or compromised, contact one of
the three credit bureaus to report the crime (Equifax at 1-800-525-6285,
Experian at 1-888-397-3742, or TransUnion at 1-800-680-7289). Request that
the credit bureau place a fraud alert on your credit report to prevent any
further fraudulent activity from occurring. As soon as one of the bureaus
issues a fraud alert, the other two bureaus are automatically notified.

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