Cyber Security Month: Tips of the week

In honor of Cyber Security Awareness month, the IT department has been working to bring you helpful tips, tricks, and reminders to keep you and your personal information safe. Here, we take a more in-depth look at some of the tips we've provided.

1. Filter What You Post

Employers are looking into social media more and more everyday. Whatever you post today has the potential to affect your future career and reputation. Remember, there is no ‘Delete’ button on the Internet! Share with care, if a post or picture is deleted from your profile even seconds after posting it, chances are someone still saw it. Even the ever so popular "Finsta," short for "fake Instagram" is not a valid form of privacy. Followers of the account have the ability to screenshot posts, send your posts to other friends via direct message, or even just pulling up your account in person.

2. Update Your Privacy Settings


Set your privacy and security settings to your comfort level for information sharing. Disable geotagging, which allows anyone to see where you are—and where you aren’t—at any given time. Geotagging can be used to collect your information for marketing, sales, and many other purposes. Many apps track your location in the background even when you're not using them!



3. Stay Away From Strangers

Connect only with people you trust! Most social networks are a journal of your personal information. They display your name, your friends, your likes and interests, locations you've been, and even workplaces and personal addresses. While some social networks might seem safer for connecting because of the limited personal information shared through them, keep your connections to people you know and trust.

4. Limit Personal Information

Because social networks display the information previously discussed, limit what information you post on social media. From personal addresses to where you like to grab coffee, most people treat their accounts like an autobiography. What you may not realize is that these details are all that criminals need to know to target you.



5. Speak up!

Speak up if you’re uncomfortable! If a friend posts something about you that makes you uncomfortable, let them know. Likewise, stay open-minded if a friend approaches you because something you’ve posted makes them uncomfortable. People have different tolerances for how much the world knows about them, and it is important to respect those differences. Don’t hesitate to report any instance of cyberbullying you see.

Tyler Parker
Social Media & Marketing Student Assistant 
Web & Digital Strategies