Top Resources to Bookmark During National Cyber Security Awareness Month

At Union Bank, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our customers and their sensitive personal data.

Cyber criminals aim to take advantage of the public during times of crisis, so it is important to be aware of warning signs now more than ever. For National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we would like to share helpful security resources with you that exist within our blog, as well as additional content from reliable sources that we recommend.

From the Union Bank Blog:

• Best Practices for Sharing Information Online
  • Understand the risks that come with online activity and rethink what you share in order to protect yourself and your loved ones online.
• Securing Devices by Making Simple Changes
  • Keep your devices protected, even those that you wouldn’t expect to be susceptible to threats.
• How Can You Protect Yourself from Identity Theft? 5 Easy Steps to Take Right Now
  • Major data breaches have almost become routine. Luckily, there are easy steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft.
• 5 Common Security Mistakes People Make When Shopping Online and How to Avoid Them
  • Before you open up your web browser to look for items on your holiday shopping list, learn about these five common security mistakes and what you can do to protect yourself while shopping online.
• Charitable Giving Scams: How to Protect Yourself from Fraud
  • Calls for donations grow louder when a disaster hits, such as the widespread destruction caused by hurricanes in 2017. Unfortunately, there are some who wish to take advantage of Americans’ generosity.
• How to Protect Your Social Media Accounts from Hackers
  • Social media is a great place to start to shield yourself from identity theft, computer viruses, and phishing scams.

Additional Resources:

• If you’re careful, you can stay up to date with the latest info on COVID-19 without getting scammed. There are hundreds of thousands of fake “COVID-19” phishing web sites. Make sure you visit only trusted pages, such as the Center for Disease Control’s official site (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html), or your local county or state health department sites.
• If you’re unsure about a web site, you can always use this Google tool to see if it’s safe: https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search
• The longer your password, the harder it is to crack. Many experts recommend password length should be at least 11 or 12 characters. Even adding just one character to your password can boost its security exponentially. To see what kind of boost you can get by adding extra characters, check out How Secure is My Password? 
• Consider using a password manager to create hard-to-crack passwords and remember them for you. You just need to remember one master password, not dozens. Click here to see password managers that are recommended by CNET.
• There are a number of free tools you can use to check up on your passwords. Websites like;  https://breachalarm.com/, and https://passwords.google.com/ check your info against a list of hacked records. If your name comes up, you need to change your password as soon as possible.
• Online scams aren’t so scary when you know what to look for. Get tips and tricks for spotting them (and find your scam IQ) by clicking here.

Secure browsing during the COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance, so refer back to these resources to keep your awareness strong. Our goal and commitment is to equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to keep your information safe. For any questions or further information, please Contact Us or review our Frequently Asked Questions.