Internet Safety Tips - Adults

1. Understand privacy settings and use them. Only allow people you know in real life to be friends with you online.
2. Pause before you post. Even if you restrict access to your profiles, whatever you put online can be seen by your entire friend group, and they can distribute it beyond your intended audience.
3. Guard your personal information. Release your social security number only when required for tax forms, employment records, financial transactions and license applications. Give out your credit card number and personal information only when you have initiated the transaction and trust the company.
4. Create difficult-to-guess passwords. Do not use the last four digits of your social security number, birth date, middle name, or mother’s maiden name.
5. Play it safe with law enforcement. In the event of identity theft, call the Attorney General’s Office to obtain an Identity Theft Passport. This protects you from being detained or arrested for crimes committed by someone using your name.

Sources and Links:

10 Cybersecurity Tips: Small Businesses
National Institute of Standards and Technology:
Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security
Security Intelligence: 5 Star Security Program
PCI Security Standards - Quick Reference Guide