Tips to protect from cybercriminals

As students return to college there is a topic not found in textbooks or traditional coursework that parents, guardians, and educators should prioritize: smart cybersecurity practices.

Recent McAfee Labs research found cybercriminals are actively targeting the education sector, with publicly disclosed attacks increasing 50% in 2019. As students increasingly use various devices both at college and home, smart online practices should be learned early on.

Here are some tips for students to protect their personal data:

Never reuse passwords: Use unique passwords for each one of your accounts, even if it's for an account that doesn't hold a lot of personal information. Use a password manager to simplify your password management needs.

Always set privacy and security settings: Anyone with access to the internet can view your social media if it's public, so protect your identity and privacy by turning your profiles to private in order to have control over who can see information about you. You should also take the time to understand the various security and privacy settings to see which work best for your lifestyle.

Use the cloud with security mindset: If you plan to store your documents in the cloud, be sure to set up an additional layer of access security to keep your data available and secure. One way of doing this is through two-factor authentication.

Always connect with caution: If you must conduct transactions on a public Wi-Fi connection, especially those financial in nature, use a virtual private network (VPN) to help keep your connection secure and details private.

With a proactive approach, students can keep personal data secure so they can focus on academics, reaching milestones and making memories.