8 Cybersecurity Tips for Families in 2022

1/12/2022

As more of our lives are lived digitally, educating kids on cybersecurity is more important than ever to keep your family safe from online threats. In this article, we share eight best practices for cybersecurity in 2022.

Keep your devices updated

Although it can sometimes be time-consuming to update your PC, phone, or tablet, many of these software updates include the latest security patches that can help protect you in the ever-changing landscape of viruses, malware, and spyware.

So, be sure to enable automatic updates on your devices or initiate these updates as soon as they are available. Most systems will automatically provide you with notifications to tell you when an update needs to be installed, so it's up to you to not ignore them.

Similarly, be sure that all of your mobile apps are set to automatically update. Just like your hardware, all of these software components receive regular updates to protect against a variety of threats. Be sure that your kids' devices are kept up to date as well (although some generations will probably be more on top of this than their parents).

Password protect your Wi-Fi

Always be sure to set a password for your home Wi-Fi network to protect yourself from intruders. Connect all of your family's devices using this password, but be cautious who you give your password to, and where you choose to store your password for safekeeping. Having an open Wi-Fi or a compromised password gives hackers a backdoor into your confidential information, so be sure to change this password periodically even if it is a temporary inconvenience for your family or guests.

Use parental controls

You can set up parental controls that will allow you to censor content that you don't want your kids to have access to. You can also prevent unauthorized app purchases and downloads with parental controls for your type of device:

Google Play: Set up parental controls to restrict what content can be downloaded or purchased.
Apple: Set content and privacy restrictions on your child’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Discuss online safety with your kids

Even with parental controls enabled on your devices, your child may still experience a phishing scam. So, it’s good to talk about what these are, how to spot them, and how to stay safe online. “Stop. Think. Connect.” is a great resource for keeping the whole family up to date on cybersecurity issues. Created by The Anti-Phishing Working Group and National Cyber Security Alliance, you can review the latest Tips & Advice with your child.

Learn how to spot a fraudulent website

Think before you click. Hover your mouse over any URL to view the complete web address before clicking on it. Look carefully to be sure it’s not a fraudulent website disguised as a reputable site that is hosted on a spam URL. Scammers are very good at disguising fraud sites as legitimate, and their design capabilities have become very sophisticated. Be aware of small errors, such as logos or images that aren't quite correct, or spelling errors in the copy, since these can be signs that it may be an attempt to phish your information. If in doubt, manually type the link into your browser first before hitting enter, such as “https://www.walmart.com”, to look for unfamiliar information or errors instead of clicking directly on the link.

Be on the lookout for phishing emails

As scammers grow more sophisticated in their phishing efforts, you’ll need to look closely for spelling errors, too-good-to-be-true offers, incorrect logos, suspicious links or phone numbers, and the URL of the email address. Scammers will try to trick you with things like rich@bestdeals.pay-pal.com in the hopes that you'll recognize the brand name in the email and assume it's legitimate.

The best way to avoid phishing emails is to never click on a link from an email you weren’t expecting. If it appears to come from a reputable company or service, contact them directly to check.

Teach your kids to look before they click

Just like crossing the road without looking both ways is dangerous, it's also perilous to click on links in social media profiles, suspicious websites, and emails. This can lead to websites that compromise your personal information or install spyware or malware. Teach them to look in the bottom left corner of their web browser window after hovering over a link to see where it will lead before they actually click it.

Preach safe password usage (and practice what you preach)

Make sure you and everyone in your family know the best practices behind password security. This includes:

Longer is better
Use numbers and characters
Avoid common words and phrases
Try to mix upper- and lower-case letters
Try a passphrase instead

Town and Country Bank and Peoples Prosperity Bank is your local partner in Security Awareness

At Town and Country Bank and Peoples Prosperity Bank, we care about the safety and security of our customers. Download our mobile banking app, Alvy, to consistently be able to view your account balances and transaction history on the go. You can also suspend your debit card or report it as lost or stolen within the Alvy app.

Contact us today to learn more about the ways we can help you protect your family from cybersecurity threats or visit one of our 12 locations nearest you.