Digital Spring Cleaning
Spring is in the air! It is a time for renewal and growth, not just with nature but also with your digital life. As you dig out from the snow and get on with spring cleaning, it is also a good idea to declutter your digital workspace and online presence. Below are a few steps you can take to achieve this:
Change old passwords and use a password manager.
Passwords should be changed periodically to avoid potential impact from data breaches. Additionally, passwords should be complex and unique across all accounts. Password managers are a great tool to suggest strong passwords and store them securely.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
MFA provides an additional layer of security to your accounts. After typing in your password, you will be required to provide another credential to log into your account, such as one-time code, challenge-response question, or biometrics. MFA makes it more difficult for a cybercriminal to gain access to your account and steal sensitive information. It is highly recommended that MFA be set up on email accounts, bank and credit card accounts, and social media accounts.
Check app usage and permissions.
You may be surprised by the number of apps installed on your device that you may have used once or twice but never again. It is a good idea to remove unused apps on your device to free up space. For frequently used apps, review their privacy and security settings to see what information is being shared with them (e.g., location, contacts, audio/video). Determine what information sharing is no longer required and turn it off.
Update devices and apps.
Companies routinely release updates to device operating systems and apps that provide not only new features but also important security updates to provide protection against cybercriminals. Operating systems, including Android, Apple, and Windows, offer capabilities to automatically install updates, taking the guesswork out of manual installs.
