The Daily Bulletin Archive

From the Chief of University Police
The holiday shopping season is an opportunity for criminals to take advantage of millions of online consumers. Their goal is to get your personal and financial information to steal your identity and take your money. The following tips can help you stay safe online.

Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your accounts and make it much less likely you will get hacked. Even if attackers obtain your password, they may not be able to access your account if it is protected by this multiple-step verification process. 

Update your software. Consider turning on automatic updates.  

Think before you click. Most successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email designed to look as though it is from a retailer but really has malicious links or asks you to input your personal or financial information. If it looks suspicious, something is probably not right.

Use strong passwords or, ideally, a password manager to generate and store unique passwords.

Make sure your information is being encrypted. All reputable merchants use encryption to transmit information from your browser to their servers. Look in your browser’s location bar to make sure the website address begins with “https:” instead of “http:.” Also look for the padlock icon. If the padlock is locked, your information is encrypted.

Do not let criminals ruin your holiday spirit. Follow these tips to protect yourself and have a wonderful holiday break.