We live in a digital age where internet-connected devices are the norm. Our phones, our televisions, even our light bulbs are tied together in today\u2019s tech ecosystem. For high school and college students, this degree of digital connection is the standard, and when school is in session, tech accessories are a popular way to customize the various connected devices that are now an essential part of students\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With their focus on specialized accessories, it\u2019s easy for\nstudents to overlook the importance of securing their connected devices. What\u2019s\nthe point of an expensive phone case or the perfect PopSocket if you\u2019re leaving\nyourself, and your data, vulnerable? Hacks, security breaches, and stolen\nidentities are often seen as things that don\u2019t happen to digital natives. But\nsecurity breaches can happen to anyone\u2014no matter how sophisticated a user may\nbe\u2014and are almost always preventable by practicing safe\ncyber habits and having the right security is in place. But where do you start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For students at any level, these best practices may seem eye-rollingly intuitive, but they are the basic tools for staying safe and secure online. Flaws with basic cybersecurity often prove to be the catalyst for a chain reaction of breaches, so by making sure these essential fail-safes are in place, you go a long way toward protecting yourself from cybercrime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being aware of your surroundings and the connectivity of\nyour devices is the first step towards a digitally secure life. But what does\nawareness mean from a cybersecurity standpoint? It means turning airdrop, file\nsharing, and open Bluetooth connectivity off, before <\/em>you use your device in a public area. It means not leaving\nyour laptop unattended, even if you\u2019re just running to the bathroom at the\ncoffee shop. It means using a free tool, such as haveibeenpwned.com<\/a>,\nto see if your data has been breached in the past and taking corrective\nmeasures if it has been. Most importantly, it means treating public networks\nlike they are public, and not accessing sensitive information through them\nunless you take the proper precautions (more on that below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-factor authentication, where a validation message is\nsent upon login, is a security feature that verifies that you<\/em> are the one who is actually attempting to access your account,\nparticularly if the access request is coming from an unrecognized device or\nlocation. Two-factor authentication is the best way to\nstop unauthorized users<\/a> from logging into your accounts. Most social\nmedia services offer two-factor authentication, but if you don\u2019t trust them to\nbe up to the task, use a third party service such as Authy or Google\nAuthenticator. SMS and email two-factor authentication measures are demonstrably weaker<\/a> than other\navailable two-factor measures, and should be avoided if possible (although it\u2019s\nbetter than using only a password alone). <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to remember multiple passwords, let alone\nmultiple secure passwords. But never reusing passwords is the best way to\nprevent third-party breaches from affecting multiple accounts. A good tip for\nvaried passwords you can remember? Choose a phrase (or favorite song lyric) and\nbreak it down into sections. For example, the\nquick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog<\/em>, becomes three separate passphrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a handy trick to wean yourself off the same two\npasswords you\u2019ve been using since middle school, and is better than password\nredundancy. Make sure you include spaces in your passphrases. In the rare case\nspaces are not allowed, then a phrase without spaces will suffice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the tips above are the metaphorical security sign in the\nwindow of your digital life, the measures outlined below are the actual\nsecurity system. A small amount of additional effort on your part will help\nkeep you safe during your educational career. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Making sure you have trusted antivirus software running on\nall devices is one of the most effective ways to stay safe from online threats.\nA cross-device service, such as Webroot\nSecureAnywhere<\/a>\u00ae solutions, will keep you safe from potentially malicious\nemails, files, or apps. An important step to never skip? Keeping your antivirus\nsoftware up to date. This will help prevent newly surfaced viruses and malware\nfrom penetrating your systems. Or, chose cloud-based antivirus solutions, like Webroot\u2019s,\nthat do not require updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t want to bother with remembering passwords at all?\nPassword managers with secure\nencryption<\/a> make generating and storing passwords safe and easy. Many\npassword managers are compatible with common browsers such as Chrome and\nFirefox, making it easy<\/a>\nto securely auto-fill passwords and other forms online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Encryption services use ciphers to convert messages into\nrandom symbols, which are only able to be converted back when accessed by the\nintended recipient, with a special key. Common encryption options are Apple\nMessages and Signal, as well as WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook. If you\nprefer an encryption option that isn\u2019t owned by a large corporation, Signal is\na part of Open Whisper Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTwo-Factor authentication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Multiple passwords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Digging deeper<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Antivirus software<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Password managers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Message encryption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Virtual private networks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n