5 Cybersecurity Tips to Secure Your Online Accounts

This is a sponsored post with BECU. All opinions are my own. BECU is Federally Insured by NCUA.

I’m excited to partner with BECU this year to share how they’ve helped us continue to maintain our financial well-being. BECU is a Washington-based credit union committed to increasing the financial well-being of their members and communities through budgeting tools, Financial Health Checks and more.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! If you guys didn’t know, my day job is in security, risk, and compliance. I have experience in this field for more than 10 years – most recently, three years at Microsoft and I’m currently a Security Risk Analyst at Lyft. It’s always exciting when my full-time job intersects with my blog so I’m excited to partner with BECU to share 5 simple cybersecurity tips that can be applied across your online accounts! Cybersecurity is more important than ever as we continue to operate virtually during these challenging times (and as we quickly approach the holiday shopping season!), and these easy security tips can help secure your financial, personal, and work information. Watch out, Mr. Robot!

1. Create Strong Passwords

A strong password is the easiest way to protect your online accounts…that is, if you make it strong and less hackable! Here are cybersecurity tips to help create a strong password. It:

• Contains at least 16 characters
• Includes uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters
• Is often changed, preferably every 90 days
• Is not used across other accounts

BECU’s Chief Information Security Officer Sean Murphy shares additional password management tips and what to do if you get hacked here.

2. Use a Password Manager

According to a Google survey, 52% of people reuse the same password across their online accounts. How is it possible to remember complex passwords for every online account? This is where a password manager swoops in. My husband and I use a password management app which securely stores all of your passwords in the cloud. You just need to remember your master password. The best part? You just click on a tiny icon to fill in your password when logging into each account! BOOM!

3. Turn on Two-Factor Authentication

In addition to creating multiple, strong passwords, it’s important to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA is what the cool kids call it) when possible. The saying is: have something you know (your password) and something you have (code being sent to your email, phone, etc.). This creates an additional layer that a hacker must go through if your password is compromised. 2FA has prevented many hacking attempts to my banking, social, and email accounts since I’ll see code notifications all the time!

4. Know How to Identify a Phishing Scam

What’s a hackers favorite season? Phishing season. LOL

Phishing scams – when scammers attempt you to give them information by pretending to be something they are not – are upon us now more than ever, and hackers love to use this method to gain access to your sensitive information via email. Here are a few ways to identify a phishing email:

• Check the sender’s email address. For instance, BECU email addresses end with @becu.org. If you get an email from mrrobot@becu.com, it’s most likely from a bad actor trying to get personal information from you.
• It’s phishy if there’s an urgent or unusual request. Like, “click this email NOW to claim $1000.” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Hover over links and don’t click on them if they don’t look right. Also avoid clicking on links from unknown sources and experts claiming to be from the CDC. With COVID-19, it’s important to only visit trusted sources like the CDC and the World Health Organization websites for the most updated information about the virus.

During these times, COVID-19 scams are also rampant. Check out BECU’s tips on how to avoid COVID-19 scams.

5. Take Precautions when Using Public Wi-Fi

Love free internet at your favorite café or the airport? So do hackers. When connecting to public Wi-Fi there’s always a risk that a hacker is on the prowl, looking to gain access to your information. Take precaution and avoid accessing sensitive accounts like banking or shopping accounts while you’re on the network unless you have access to a virtual private network (VPN) application. BECU has also collected helpful tips to know when using public Wi-Fi. If your information is compromised (don’t worry – it happens to the best of us!), it’s important to take the following steps: 

• Contact your financial institution immediately.
• Report scammers to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and suspicious claims related to COVID-19 to the Federal Trade Commission.
• Other steps to take if your identity is stolen: 5 Immediate Steps to Take if Your Identity is Stolen

I hope these cybersecurity tips were helpful and that you’ll incorporate them into your online every day life, because you never know when your sensitive information can be compromised. For more cybersecurity tips, BECU has partnered with KnowBe4 to offer over a dozen free courses that you can take online!