In real life I work in the Information Technologies field. Most of my recent experience has been in the finance and defense sectors, meaning that security and information integrity are VERY important. Recently, my current employer shared some cyber security tips that I thought were worth repeating.

Here are the Top Five cyber security tips:

1. Don’t click on or open suspicious emails. If you receive an email that looks suspicious delete the message. Don’t open the email or attachment, and don’t click on links.
2. Change your passwords periodically, at work and on personal accounts and devices. Changing your passwords helps protect against the risk that someone else may obtain and use your password. Change your passwords every 60 days, and make your passwords strong.
3. Update the virus protection software you use. Remember to stay up to date on virus protection software updates. If you get a notice that your protection is out of date at home or at work, don’t ignore it! Updating your virus protection takes just a few moments, and it’s vital to maintaining a safe and secure network.
4. Be careful about what you share on social media. The more personal information you share, the easier it is for someone to target you with a spear phishing scheme or steal your identity. Remember, the information shared on a social network is public and can be found even if it’s deleted.
5. Encrypt emails with confidential information. If you send restricted or confidential information, encrypt the message and its attachments.

All of these are simple but not easy. Becoming more security conscious takes effort, which is why criminals look for targets who don’t do these five activities. Make yourself a more difficult target by putting these five tips into practice, it could save you a lot of time and money.