Black Friday / Cyber Monday Digital Chores Checklist

Stay safe and secure online when doing your shopping by doing these simple chores first.

1.       Keep your computers, phones, and other mobile devices clean by updating the operating system and apps to the latest versions.

2.       Use fingerprint, passcode, or password protections to lock your devices when not in use.

3.       Back up critical data to the cloud or to a removable hard drive.

4.       Review your social media accounts, make sure the content filters are appropriately set for the age group of your family. Some third-party software can help do this also.

5.       Set two-factor authentication on every account that offers it. If you don’t someone else could and then lock you out of your own accounts!

6.       Conduct a digital purge: delete old email/text subscriptions, and archive old emails and texts. Email lists are sold on dark web every day, the less your email is out there the better.

7.       Manage online accounts by changing to a strong password, closing accounts you no longer use, deleting unused apps. They just give hackers more ways into your devices.

8.       Update the password on your router, not the wi-fi one, the admin account to change router setting is often forgotten and may still be using the default which is found in a google search.

9.       Have a monthly Family Discussion about online security and how to stay safe with your children.