{"id":25762,"date":"2021-10-07T13:00:47","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T17:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/?p=25762"},"modified":"2021-10-07T16:47:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T20:47:30","slug":"cybersecurity-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/news\/2021\/10\/cybersecurity-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Cybersecurity Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/go.msu.edu\/ncam1\">Cybersecurity Awareness Month<\/a> and MSU IT wants to ensure that all Spartans stay safe and secure online. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The American public lost <\/span><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/news\/pressrel\/press-releases\/fbi-releases-the-internet-crime-complaint-center-2020-internet-crime-report-including-covid-19-scam-statistics\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">$4.1 billion<\/span><\/b><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> from scams in 2020\u2013\u2013$54 million from phishing alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Don\u2019t make yourself an easy target for scammers. Keep these helpful cybersecurity tips to keep in mind to stay safe:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Avoid oversharing.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202fAs social media becomes a bigger part of our lives, we need to be mindful of what we share. A selfie or check-in at your favorite coffee shop can reveal more than intended. Personal information shared on social media can be the final puzzle piece hackers need to steal your identity. Be careful of what you share and never disclose any personal information on public-facing accounts. C<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">arefully weigh the pros and cons of sharing your personal information in exchange for free products and services, and be aware of who you allow to use your personal data and for what purpose.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Be Aware!<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f Look for antivirus alerts, browser pop-ups or random unwanted sites, passwords that no longer work, friends saying they have received strange emails or other suspicious behavior. If you encounter these, perform an antivirus scan on your device or reload your computer\u2019s software\/data from a backup. And change your passwords!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Create strong passwords<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202ffor all of your logins, including email, banking, social media, and MSU sites. Be careful not to reuse passwords across multiple accounts, too.\u202f A strong password is at least 12 characters long and utilizes phrases with upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Consider using a free password manager, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lastpass.com\/get-premium?utm_medium=cpc&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3s6R_pG58wIVAu21Ch2ZeAz5EAAYASAAEgIfMfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds\">LastPass<\/a>.\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Never share your passwords with anyone, not even your family. If your parents or guardians need access to your MSU financial information, encourage them to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/msu-guest-account\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">register for an MSU Guest Account<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Use caution on public Wi-Fi<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Whether you\u2019re studying in a dining hall, Wells Hall, or Chipotle, be careful when connecting to public Wi-Fi on and off-campus. Never access or share personal or financial information over an unsecured or questionable network, where cybercriminals can easily steal your information. Campus Wi-Fi will appear as MSUnet or MSUnet 3.0. If you don\u2019t have access to reliable Wi-fi, consider using your phone\u2019s hotspot. If you can\u2019t connect to secure Wi-Fi at home or on campus, consider <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/new.vpn.msu.edu\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">installing MSU\u2019s VPN<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/network\/wireless\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">MSU Wi-Fi<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Don\u2019t get phished!<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> Phishing emails are suspicious emails sent from criminals looking to infect your computer or steal your information.\u202fThey usually arrive unexpectedly, with a sense of urgency, and from an unfamiliar sender that asks you to open an attachment. Usually, the grammar is poor, the email is from a free account like Gmail or Hotmail, and there is no contact information. Sometimes they might not ask for anything at all. Cybercriminals can sign up for real services or accounts using your email address hoping you click the verification link which enables them to use the account themselves. (Read about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/news\/2021\/08\/msu-it-security-alert-suspicious-venmo-activity\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">suspicious Venmo emails<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> received by the MSU community.) Bottom line: If something looks off, it probably is. If you receive a suspected phish, don\u2019t click any links or reply\u2013forward it to <\/span><a href=\"mailto:abuse@msu.edu\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">abuse@msu.edu<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">. Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stopthinkconnect.org\/blog\/how-phishing-works\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">phishing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":true,"134233118":true}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">If you think you\u2019ve fallen for a scam or your identity has been stolen, you should file a police report and notify the credit bureaus as soon as possible. If you think your MSU credentials or email has been hacked, or if you have\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">questions,\u202f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">please contact MSU IT at 517-432-6200. For more cybersecurity tips, visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/secureit.msu.edu\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">secureit.msu.edu.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s Cybersecurity Awareness Month and MSU IT wants to ensure that all Spartans stay safe and secure online. The American public lost $4.1 billion from scams in 2020\u2013\u2013$54 million from phishing alone.\u00a0Don\u2019t make yourself an easy target for scammers. Keep these helpful cybersecurity tips to keep in mind to stay safe:\u00a0 Avoid oversharing.\u202fAs social media… <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/news\/2021\/10\/cybersecurity-tips\/\" title=\"Read Five Cybersecurity Tips\">Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":25751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/lock-and-keys-3.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6GvV1-6Hw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25762"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25762"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25775,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25762\/revisions\/25775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tech.msu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}