5 Top Tips to Keep Technology Safe on Campus
College is a place where sharing is encouraged — the sharing of your thoughts and ideas, your feelings and emotions, and, during finals week at least, your late-night caffeine sources. But one thing college students shouldn't be sharing is their technology. Unfortunately, you may already be sharing yours, even if you don't know it.
A few common-sense tips can help you be more aware of the dangers of poor Internet security and how to prevent a data breach of your personal information.
1. Protect Your Passwords
Creating a strong password is the easiest — and perhaps the most important — way to protect your data. Remember to use unique passwords with a variation of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols for every account you set up. You should never use easily identifiable personal information as a password and never share them or write them down where someone else can find them.
Once you've chosen a strong password, set up two-factor authentication for your email, bank, and social media accounts. This adds an extra layer of protection to your accounts and can let you know if someone else is trying to access them.
If you use group accounts — for instance, if your friends chip in together for a shared Netflix account — be certain those passwords are unique and do not mirror any of your personal passwords.
2. Be Careful with Your Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi at the coffee shop while studying is always a big hit with students. It's also a favorite for criminals looking to take advantage of the unencrypted public Wi-Fi connections that make it easy for hackers to slip away with your personal data. Turning a cellphone with unlimited data into a temporary but private hotspot might be a better idea when working in a public area.
3. Read Before Clicking
It isn't always necessary to click yes when a message pops up telling you to. It also isn't always legitimate. Before you click on any pop-ups or open any attachments, scan them first and make sure you trust where they are from. You could easily be clicking yes to malware and not software updates.
4. Back Up Often, Trust Little
Keep your operating system and antivirus software up to date and back up all of your data often. Change passwords if something seems not quite right with a site or if there is a rumor on campus about a hacking or potential breach. You cannot be too careful.
5. Don't Make Theft Easy
Your personal computer, cellphone, and other electronic devices are probably some of your most valued possessions. Unfortunately, thieves want them, too. And if your computer is stolen, not only will it be harder to write your term paper, your personal data stored there could be easily compromised as well. The best way to deal with theft is to make it more difficult for those who might be looking to steal your property in the first place.
Don't leave electronics lying out in open areas.
Never leave electronics in study or common rooms while you are not there.
Always keep your data backed up to a secondary storage device or the Cloud.
Don't leave a laptop or smartphone in an unlocked car or in a locked car in a place where it is visible.
Use a laptop security alarm that will sound an alarm if anyone attempts to remove your secured laptop from its specified location.
With a little common sense, you can make it through your four years in college with your technology and your digital footprint intact. Stay aware, and you'll stay safe.
