Kyra Finner
Staff Writer
Protecting yourself online is more important today than ever before, according to some of Idaho State University’s cybersecurity experts. These experts, Courtney Ohr, Jessie Cooper and Chase Adams-Hart emphasized the value of being educated about protection on the internet.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is the month of October, but being diligent in your protection online is something to remember all year round.
“Cybersecurity is so important because there is a serious lack of awareness about it,” said Jessie Cooper. “You have to realize that people can steal your information through many forms, and it’s vital to know how to defend yourself.”
Adams-Hart, Cooper, and Ohr created a helpful metaphor to better help students understand what protection on the internet means.
“Every time you get into your car you are risking the chance of getting in a car wreck. You have to take the time to check your engine oil, coolant, tire pressure,” said Adam-Hart. “In that same way, you must consider checking your cybersecurity.”
Along with many other words of caution brought up by the cybersecurity experts, one point stood out: nothing is more expensive than free.
“Someone is always selling your personally identifiable information (PII),” said Cooper. “Whatever free app or website you’re using is making money somehow, and that is usually by selling your information to advertisers, other websites, and so on.”
In this day and age, the threats on the internet are growing rapidly, and the risk of having your identity stolen, having your money taken from you, and your most important accounts hacked is more likely now.
“You have to realize that your virtual and your physical world are actually the same thing,” said Courtney Ohr.
What’s the best password to be safe online and in your personal accounts? The answer might surprise you. According to these professionals, rather than worry about capital letters, numbers, and random symbols in your passwords, simply make them longer.
“Whenever you can, make your passwords long phrases,” said Ohr. “You should also use sites and apps that use two separate systems to sign in with, like a fingerprint or a confirmation email.”
Making a password that is lengthier will take the automatic guess-work of computers a longer amount of time to break through your accounts, which is why it is so important.
There are many other ways to protect yourself online. and here’s how the experts suggest you do it. Courtney Ohr says that not sharing your location on the internet is a good way to prevent threats like a home robbery.
“Change your passwords often enough that there isn’t a chance for a breach to happen,” said Adams-Hart.
And most of all, “be suspicious of everything,” Cooper warned.
In the end, the cybersecurity experts said they don’t expect you, a college student in the 21st Century, to completely abandon social media. They just want you to be more aware of what the possible risks are and how to handle them.
“Take the risk analysis and compare it to the other protections you use in your life to be safe, like wearing a seatbelt when you are in a vehicle, having a concealed carry on you for self-defense, staying in groups when you are in a new place,” said Adam-Hart. “In all of these examples, you are protecting yourself from the detrimental impacts of being unsafe in the world, and you should consider your cybersecurity the same way.”
