Our National Cybersecurity Awareness Month blog series continues. “OWN IT. SECURE IT. PROTECT IT” is this year's theme, but this week we focus on "SECURE IT".

What do we mean by secure it? It's all about securing your online profiles... social media profiles, online shopping accounts, even your online banking profile. As technology advances, cybercriminals are also evolving. Their methods are becoming more sophisticated. Unsuspecting victims are cybercriminals number one target. So how can you protect against cyber threats? One of the best things you can do is learn about the available security features on your equipment and software you use. Apply additional layers of security, like Multi-Factor Authentication, to better protect your personal information.

Two Factor Authentication is currently the best way, and simple way, to add an extra layer of security for online accounts like Google, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, which makes them much harder to hack. It requires more than just a simple username and password. Usually, it involves sending a unique code to your smartphone that you enter along with your password. Or you can generate an individual code, using your phone using apps like Google Authenticator or Microsoft’s Authenticator app.

Two Factor Authentication is called different names by services, but despite the name the fact remains, it's and easy step to add an extra layer of security to your account that makes it much harder for the bad guys to break into your online accounts.

Next week we'll share "PROTECT IT" tips.

#BeCyberSmart #CyberAware