The Government of Canada has been actively working to help Canadians protect themselves online through their GetCybersafe campaign. The national public awareness campaign was created to inform Canadians about cybersecurity and simple steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are some different ways to protect yourself by securing your accounts, your devices, and your connections.
Secure your accounts
Keep your private information private. We’re lucky to live in an age where everything we need is right at our fingertips: we can pay our bills, buy our groceries, and even meet our soulmates online. Unfortunately, this also means that more of our private information is at risk of being exposed than ever before. But by taking a few simple steps to secure your accounts, you can keep your personal information safe and sound.
Passphrases, passwords, and PINs: Using unique and complex passphrases and passwords for every account and device is one of the best ways to keep your personal information safe.
Multi-factor authentication: Enabling multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts and devices to keep your information safe.
Password managers: Passphrases and passwords can be hard to remember. Password managers help you keep track of login information across many accounts and devices.
Social media: If you’re not careful, social media can be an easy way for cyber criminals to learn more about you. Take precautions before you post.
Secure your devices.
Your devices can keep you connected to the internet no matter where you are. From the phones in our pockets to smart doorbells, appliances, and lightbulbs, connected devices are becoming a bigger and bigger part of our lives. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure they’re secure.
Laptops and computers: Your computers and laptops store a huge amount of information about you. Laptops and computers keep all our important data at our fingertips, including photos, contacts, and financial information. But if we’re not careful, our computers could also be an open book for cyber criminals. Knowing how to secure devices and use them safely can be the key to keeping your personal information out of the wrong hands
Phones and tablets: Your mobile devices contain a lot of information about you. Mobile devices are today’s multi-tools. We use them as cameras, maps, credit cards, watches and more. And sometimes, we even use them to make phone calls. Keep your phone and tablet up to date. Mobile operating system (OS) updates can include anything from a completely new version to a patch or fix to strengthen security, remove bugs, or improve functionality. Always update your device when prompted or turn on automatic updates if available.
Be careful with Bluetooth: Bluetooth technology links nearby devices, like wireless headphones, printers, and keyboards, to your mobile device or computer. And since your devices carry sensitive data, you’ll want to take extra care when pairing anything through Bluetooth. Remember to always turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it so that hackers cannot detect your device and attempt to pair with it.
Think before you text: SMS messages or texts are a convenient way to keep in touch with friends, but they can also make you vulnerable to malware, privacy breaches, and other criminal activities. Take a few precautions when texting:
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- Don’t use text messages to send personal or sensitive information.
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- Never open attachments from unknown or untrusted sources.
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- Never click the links or call phone numbers in suspicious messages even if they say they’re from your bank or mobile provider.
Watch out for untrustworthy apps: Avoid downloading apps developed by companies that provide little to no information about their organization. A reputable company should provide contact details, a website address, or email information. Only download apps from trusted sources, like the App Store or Google Play. But remember, even trusted sources may host apps with less than stellar security features. When in doubt, do an internet search to learn more about an app’s security features or read published reviews to see what other users have to say. Before installing an app, make sure to review the permissions. Use your common sense to check if its functionality lines up with the permissions it’s requesting. When possible, only enable the permissions you’re comfortable with.
Connect carefully: Using Wi-Fi to save on your monthly data is a good idea if you’re careful. Public and unsecured private Wi-Fi networks can be a perfect opportunity for hackers to access your mobile device. If you have to use public Wi-Fi, make sure it’s a network you know and trust, and never use it to do banking or to access sensitive information.
Lock your devices: The more we use our mobile devices, the more data we store on them. These days, losing your phone can result in identity theft or financial disaster. Threat actors can also use your device to infect the devices of everyone in your contact list. Using a lock screen password and enabling biometric security features, like a fingerprint scan, if they’re available can prevent criminals from accessing anything stored on your device if you lose it. Enable auto-lock so it always locks after a short period of time.
Keep an eye on your devices: Never leave your mobile devices in a vehicle or unattended in public. Keep a record of your devices make and model. If your device ever goes missing, follow these steps to retrieve it safely:
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- Contact your service provider. They’ll help you de-activate your device and restore it to its factory settings. They can also place your phone on a national blacklist, preventing it from working on any Canadian wireless network.
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- Report it to local law enforcement. Should you be able to determine the device’s coordinates, provide this information to authorities. Never attempt to recover stolen property by yourself.
Discover the simple steps you can take to secure your devices, and what you can do while you’re using them to stay protected
Gaming systems: Whether it’s on PC, console or a mobile device, online gaming can be a lot of fun if you play it safe. More than half of all Canadians identify as gamers, whether that’s on computer, console, or mobile device. In addition to the increasing number of players, more and more games are appearing online. Cyber criminals are taking note.
TVs and smart devices: The Internet of Things makes our lives more convenient. But connected devices like smart TVs can also give potential cyber criminals access to our information. Change the manufacturer’s default usernames and use strong passwords for your Wi-Fi network and smart devices. Don’t use anything that could be associated with your name, address, or phone number.
Storage and backup: Backing up your devices lets you make sure that your data, special photos, personal files, and important documents will always be protected. Here’s how you can start storing your files safely.
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- Keep your files organized: Organize files and documents using folders and sub-folders instead of leaving them scattered around your desktop.
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- Back up what matters: Back up any files you want to protect, like family photos or financial documents. You don’t need to back up applications, utilities, or your operating system (OS) those can be reinstalled later.
System updates: Keeping your operating system updated is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself from cyber threats.
Secure your connections
Your networks are the master key to your most important devices and data. Discover the steps you need to take to make sure they stay secure. Safer connections mean safer devices.
Today’s devices are more connected to each other than ever before. Whether they share the same Wi-Fi network or are linked by Bluetooth, they’re all strung together by our networks — and that’s why it’s so important to make sure our networks are secure.
Private networks: Your computers, phones and other connected devices share a Wi-Fi network. Make sure your network is secure to protect all your devices from getting compromised.
Bluetooth: If hackers can detect your Bluetooth, they can get access to your device.
VPNs: If you find yourself using public Wi-Fi often, using a virtual private network (VPN) can be a safer solution. VPNs direct all your web activity through a secure, independent network that encrypts and protects your data. A VPN is offered by most internet service providers as a secondary service.
Firewalls: Firewalls guard your device from other devices trying to access it through the internet.
Public Wi-Fi: These days, you can’t walk down the street without being prompted to connect to a public Wi-Fi network. From coffee shops to doctors’ offices to buses and subways, Wi-Fi is available almost everywhere you go. But while they’re convenient, public Wi-Fi networks aren’t the safest option. Anyone can connect including potential cyber criminals. It’s important to be cautious about which Wi-Fi networks you connect to and how you use your device for while connected.
Insurance and Cybersecurity
Some property insurance policies offer coverage if you become the victim of identity theft as a result of cyber crime. If your insurer has denied your insurance claim related to identity theft and you’ve unsuccessfully appealed the claim through their internal complaints process, you can submit a complaint to us for an additional review here.
Photo: Philipp Katzenberger