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Cyber Security Month Held To Remind People To Be Vigilant

Pixabay.com TheDigitalArtist

Security is the focus as October is Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Among the agencies increasing awareness is the state Department of Emergency Management. Spokesperson Andrew Beckett says the growth of digital devices has been large...

"..Digital aspects of our lives are growing constantly. We pretty much have devices on our person that are connected to the internet. We have appliances in our home connected to the internet. It's important to think about those devices, how their connected and what they should be doing to make sure they are safe...."

Beckett says there are some things that must be done...

"....Making sure they have strong passwords on their devices is extremely important. You want to make sure. You want to make sure you're not sharing passwords across devices. That your setting strong passwords that have both alpha-numeric letters, upper-case, lower case and symbols so their not easy to be guessed...."

Beckett says they have a bit of advice called "Owning IT, Security IT, Protecting IT". Owning IT means understanding how devices can be accessed is key to learning how to protect devices. Cell phones, computers, and other smart devices in your home can all serve as potential access points for digital thieves.

Beckett says make sure you are using all the tools available for securing accounts by setting strong passwords, using two-factor authentication when available, and by watching for phishing scams. He says make sure you are practicing good cyber hygiene by regularly reviewing privacy settings on any publicly viewable platform, while setting strong passwords for your accounts and changing them regularly.

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