Data Privacy Day Highlights Need to Fight CyberCrime
NASHVILLE –The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs offers important cybercrime prevention tips to highlight Data Privacy Day, an international effort held annually on January 28th to create awareness about the importance of privacy and protecting personal information.
Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing and most potentially damaging hazards that come with living in the digital age. The most prevalent types of cybercrime are broken into three categories:
Cyberattacks target computer systems. They include computer viruses such as worms and Trojan horses, as well as denial of service attacks and electronic vandalism or sabotage.
Cyber theft involves crimes in which a computer is used to steal money or information. It includes embezzlement, fraud, theft of intellectual property and theft of personal or financial data.
Other computer security threats include spyware, adware, hacking, phishing, spoofing, pinging and port scanning. One thing to note: an attempt is a crime regardless of whether the breach is successful.
“Cybercrime is an unfortunate fact of life in the 21st century,” TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini said. “We urge Tennesseans to take steps now to help protect themselves and prevent their families from being vulnerable to cyber criminals.”
The Division of Consumer Affairs encourages Tennesseans to utilize the following tips to prevent cybercrime:
Use smart passwords. The simpler your passwords are, the more they put you at risk. Make sure they're at least eight characters long and contain a variety of letters, numbers and symbols. Keep passwords in a secured place, and don't share them with anyone. Use a phrase as a memory aid to help you create and remember a more complex password structure.
Be careful when visiting websites. Unfamiliar sites or objectionable content sites are well-known breeding grounds for cyberattacks. Consider avoiding those where you run the risk of being exposed to potential cyber criminals.
Consider installing reliable anti-virus, anti-spyware and Internet filtering programs on your devices. These three-fold protective systems help ensure that you don’t accidentally encounter viruses or hacking threats you might encounter on sites you don't know are dangerous. After you've downloaded one of these programs, be sure to install any updates as soon as they become available, or consider turning on an auto-update feature if available. One of the most common ways cyber criminals gain access to electronic devices is by hacking outdated systems.
Keep your computer’s operating system up-to-date. Computer operating systems are updated periodically to stay in tune with technological advancements and to fix security holes. Install updates to ensure your computer has the latest protection, as old versions may become unsupported by their authors over time.
Download carefully. Downloading dangerous e-mail attachments can circumvent even the most vigilant anti-virus software. Beware of opening anything from someone you don't know. You should even be wary of forwarded attachments from people you do know. E-mail attachments can contain malicious code intended to harm your computer or electronic devices.
Shut down your computer when it's not in use. It’s tempting to leave it on at all times so you’ve got quick access when you need it, but the more time your computer stays on, the more time each day it’s vulnerable. Powering your computer off on a regular basis effectively eliminates a hacker’s connection, and allows auto-updating to occur as needed when you reconnect.
To learn more about Data Privacy Day and the National Cyber Security Alliance, visit www.staysafeonline.org. For more consumer tips, visit www.tn.gov/consumer.
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