Cyber

 Protecting Our Community : Stay Cyber Aware in Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly

Many of us spend a huge amount of time online. The internet makes our lives easier, but it also provides a rich hunting ground for criminals who want to steal our money, passwords, and personal / financial details. This message details some simple steps you can take now, to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of online crime. 

As the threat from cybercrime continues to grow and evolve, it’s important to remember one thing - most of it can be prevented. By following just a few quick and simple steps, you can make it harder for cyber criminals to get into your devices and online accounts.

You can’t stop a criminal attempting to defraud you online, but you can make yourself a harder target. Taking these actions now to protect your devices and data will make you more secure whenever you’re online – whether banking, browsing, shopping, dating, gaming, or sharing on social media.

Some simple actions you can do now, to make yourself safer online

Improve your password security

Here are some top tips for improving your password security.

Turn on 2-step verification (2SV)

How to turn on 2SV:

Keep your software and apps up to date

Cyber criminals exploit weaknesses in software and apps to access your sensitive personal data, but providers are continually working to keep you secure by releasing regular updates. These updates fix weaknesses, so criminals can't access your data. Using the latest versions of software, apps and operating system on your phone, tablet, or smart device can immediately improve your security. Remember to update regularly, or set your phone, tablet, or smart device to automatically update so you don’t have to think about it. 

Use antivirus software

Use antivirus software on computers and laptops and keep them updated. Many modern operating systems have antivirus software included. This just needs to be kept active.  

Stay safe on social media

Ensure you don’t share more than you should on social media. Check your “Privacy Settings” these are often set to “Public” by default. 

Turn on backups

If your phone, tablet, or laptop is hacked, your sensitive personal data could be lost, damaged or stolen. Make sure you keep a copy of all your important information by backing it up. You can choose to back up all your data or only information that is important to you. Once back-ups are created, they should be kept offline and only reconnected to the network to update the backed-up data.  

Need more information?

For further guidance concerning passwords, how to set up 2SV, backing up your data and how to keep your software and apps up-to-date, please visit: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home#section_5

Reporting 

Members of the public can now report cybercrime and fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040

If you've received a suspicious email, please forward it to the NCSC's suspicious email reporting service (SERS) at report@phishing.gov.uk    

Forward suspicious text messages onto 7726