糖心Vlog

October is National Cyber Awareness Month (NCSAM) and according to ,聽NCASM was created as a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online. 聽The 糖心Vlog Information Security Office is celebrating this month by sharing cyber information and tips each week. Chief Information Security Officer Mike Wise says the Office of Information Security promotes a secure environment for the University to meet its mission of academic distinction in teaching, scholarships, research and service. “Cyber Security is a constant factor in our lives. In today鈥檚 world, we are dependent on our online presence for everything from banking to watching our favorite shows. With this convenience comes the increased risk of cyber-crime,” said Wise. “Not only is your information at risk, but so is the聽security聽of the University data you come into contact with every day.” In honor of the observance, Wise shared 5 tips from 聽to safely using聽social media.

1. Have a strong password聽– The stronger your password, the harder it is to guess. Use special characters like symbols and capital letters when creating your password. Also, don鈥檛 use 鈥渃ommon鈥� passwords, like your birthday or your child鈥檚 name.
2. Be careful with your status updates聽– Often, we innocently post status updates that would give an identity thief information they need to steal our identity. For example, you may post 鈥淗appy birthday to my mother!鈥� and then tag her in the post. Likely, your mother鈥檚 maiden name will be associated with that tag now. A popular security question is 鈥淲hat is your mother鈥檚 maiden name?鈥� and if you share that online, you run the risks of identity thieves getting the answer to this commonly used question.
3. Don’t reveal your location聽– You can use a fake location or make one up from another city and state. You may even be able to leave this information blank. Be cautious and never use a city and state where you live.
4. Don’t become overconfident – One of the biggest threats to online security is overconfidence. Whether at home or at work, many users believe as long as they have a firewall and an antivirus installed, there is no threat to security. Many people also believe that they don鈥檛 have anything worth hacking so there鈥檚 no need to worry about security. With today鈥檚 technology, we are more connected to each other than ever before.
5. Avoid posting聽travel plans, bank account information, your full address and birthdate, your children鈥檚鈥� names, school, and birthdays, location information or your daily schedule.

For more tips on how to safely use social media visit .