Stay Cybersafe This Halloween

Your personal cybersecurity should be the last thing scary about this Halloween. That’s why for Cybersecurity Awareness month, ITS has three ways to avoid the frights and allow you to enjoy the Halloween Night!

A Weak Password is a Grave Mistake

…As cybercriminals can crack them in an instant. With their methods becoming more advanced, passwords are being stolen at a rate like never before. An estimated one million passwords are stolen every week and over 24 billion passwords were stolen in 2022, meaning it is more important than ever to create stronger passwords. Here are some ways to do so:

• Make your passwords 16 characters or longer

• Use multiple phrases or words in your passwords

• Exclude personal information within your passwords

If you also need a place to securely keep your passwords in one place, try LastPass. Included with your UConn account, the password manager can store all your passwords in a virtual vault. You can then have your passwords autofill on any saved website, only needing to remember the Master-Passcode.

Two Steps Today Keeps the Monsters Away!

However, there may be times when your passwords might not be enough alone. If so, it’s important to make sure your accounts are secured a second time. To verify your accounts are locked down, enable and use Multifactor Authentication (MFA). The Duo Mobile app is an example of this feature in action, sending prompts on your device to authenticate your login. Turning on MFA for existing accounts is also important, especially for financial, email, and social media accounts.

Stay Among the Living, Keep Your Software Fresh

As new security threats appear, your device needs to stay up to date in order to fight them off. To make sure of this, regularly check to see if any of your software needs to be updated and download them if need be. You can also turn on automatic updates for important apps to make sure your software is always the most secure it can be. Removing unused apps and services can also help prevent any backway entrances to accessing your device.

With these strategies, you may enjoy the Halloween season knowing your information is safe and secure. However, if you have questions regarding your device or university accounts, the Technology Support Center is here for you. Make a support ticket regarding any issue or contact the TSC using the following methods for more help needed.