Here are some cybersecurity tips for students

Q: What safety tips do you have for a first-time college student who will be living on campus?

AND: The transition from high school to living on a college campus exposes your child to many new cybersecurity risks.

The most important thing is that they will be fully responsible for independently managing their devices, and preparing them for the most common threats is extremely important.

Lost or stolen devices

Your child will be in a high-risk environment that becomes a target for thieves because it only takes a moment of unsupervised use for the device to disappear.

Each device should have a lock code activated to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining full access to it in the event it goes missing.

If a thief gains access to an unlocked device, they can quickly take over all of the online accounts associated with it, making recovery attempts much more difficult.

Each device should also have some form of tracking enabled (Find My, etc.), which is built into all major operating systems.

It’s also important that you and your child test the tracking system before leaving for school. This way, you can be sure it works and your child will know what to do if the device goes missing.

Laptop theft from your dorm room is another common problem, so it’s recommended to get a laptop security lock.

Basic steps of cybersecurity

These basic steps are not just for students, everyone should follow them as basic, minimum protection.

Make sure you use long and unique passwords for each account. You will need to set up a password manager for this.

Using long but easy-to-remember passwords instead of complex ones is a great way to create passwords that are harder to crack.

Enable two-factor authentication on all your online accounts as it is your last line of defense against password theft.

Establish a regular backup procedure (I prefer automated online backup systems) so that important school materials are not saved in one place.

Another important step is to set up a VPN (virtual private network), as students will be using multiple shared Wi-Fi connections both on and off campus, so they should get used to always having it turned on.

Start clean

All appliances require maintenance to function at their best. So if you haven’t given them a deep clean recently, do so.

This will ensure that everything is up to date, unnecessary items are removed, and there is enough storage space throughout the school year.

If your computer starts slowly or slows down intermittently, it may be a sign of corrupted software or malware. The problem should be resolved before you hand your computer over to the university.

Phishing tests

Everyone should regularly check their security, because these days the most likely way to get attacked is through phishing.

There are tons of free quizzes online from Google, FTC, SonicWall, PhishingBox, and OpenDNS.

Assembled charging cables and flash drives

Cybercriminals are placing counterfeit charging cables and flash drives in high-traffic areas like college campuses. Make sure your student knows to NEVER plug them into their devices if they find them lying on the floor or left on a desk.