28 Apr It’s cybersecurity spring cleaning time
Spring is not just a good time for cleaning your house or apartment, it’s also a good time to clean up your technology and cyber footprint.
Throughout the year, especially around the holidays and during tax season, you extend your cyber footprint by paying bills, shopping, using social media and many other digital activities whether for business or pleasure.
To help you spring clean your technology and cyber footprint, we have developed a checklist to help you through the process.
PASSWORDS
- Review your passwords, update them as needed and ensure they are strong.
- Establish a unique password for each account.
- Consider using a password manager if you haven’t in the past.
- Remember to use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on accounts wherever it is available especially on accounts that have financial information such as online banking, credit card and retirement accounts.
- Review your email accounts.
- Organize folders of emails that you want to keep, delete and purge emails that no longer are needed.
- Do not store personally identifiable information in your mailbox.
- Review and update your contacts list. Delete any contacts that are no longer necessary or current.
- Review and update email filters to send spam and unwanted e-marketing messages directly to trash or another folder.
- Enable MFA whenever possible.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Review social media accounts and associated privacy settings.
- Review any photos or videos and delete those that you no longer need or want to make viewable.
- Search for yourself online to see what comes up.
- Don’t just delete a social media app that you’re no longer using, delete your entire profile.
- Be sure you are familiar with the privacy settings in your social media accounts.
CLEAN DESK
- Shred old and unnecessary paperwork.
- Ensure paper documents that contain personally identifiable information, financial information or other sensitive information is properly stored and locked up.
- Do not write down passwords or security answers on paper and leave them out.
Spring cleaning should include more than just cleaning out the closets and the garage. Follow this spring cleaning cybersecurity checklist and make sure that all applications, operating systems and devices are updated and set to update on a regular basis. Use this time to not only properly shred or destroy all unnecessary paper documents or files, but to also dispose of old electronic equipment.
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