September 6, 2016
Dept. Homeland Security
Encouragement to study hard, get good grades, and look to the future. Warnings against drugs and alcohol. Lessons on how to do laundry. These are the conversations college students are having with their parents before returning to school. But discussions about safe online behavior may not be as common. College students are leading more digital lives than ever before. Their mobile devices are never far from their hands, and there seems to be an app to help them with anything and everything. Students use the Internet for almost everything they do – from ordering food to their dorm, finding their next roommate, tracking their health and fitness routines, calling a taxicab to pick them up, and even to help them find their next date or social activity. Today’s students are constantly connected to the online world.
As they return to campus for the new school year, it’s important to remember to take steps to be cyber secure. Cybersecurity may not be something that is on the traditional “back-to-school checklist,” but given the digital lifestyle of today’s students, it needs to be. Increasingly digital lives bring many benefits, but also pose an entirely new set of risks. Students and all Americans can stay safe online by following the tips in the cyber checklist below. The Department of Homeland Security’s Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign encourages you to share this checklist with your family and friends.
Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign’s Back-to-School Cyber Checklist
- Secure your devices and accounts.
o Enable multi-factor authentication on all sensitive accounts, such as ones that hold financial or health information. Multi-factor authentication (e.g. a one-time code texted to a mobile device) helps verify a user has authorized access to an online account, providing an added layer of security beyond the password.
o To prevent theft and unauthorized access or loss of your mobile devices, never leave them unattended in a public place, like a classroom or cafeteria.
o Always update the security software on your mobile devices. Keeping the software on your devices up to date will prevent attackers from taking advantage of known vulnerabilities.
- Protect yourself against online scams.
o Links in email, tweets, and online posts are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious, even if you know the source, it’s best to delete it.
o Be wary of emails or texts that offer something that sounds too good to be true, implores you to act immediately, or asks for personal information. As newly independent young adults, students are prime targets for cybercriminals who are looking to take advantage of their inexperience and desire to support themselves financially.
o Guard your personal information carefully from cyber criminals. Keep Social Security numbers, account numbers, and passwords private, as well as specific information about yourself, such as your full name, class schedules/locations, campus address, and birthday.
- Preventing and responding to cyberbullying.
o With this increased connectivity, bullying or harassment that previously only occurred in-person now occurs online. Though the conversation about cyberbullying typically surrounds younger students, it can happen to anyone, at any age.
o If you do experience cyberbullying, it is best to not respond to the bully. Instead, tell a trusted adult, and block them on social media.
o Limit the amount of personal information you post online, and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
For more information and tips for staying safe year-round, please visit DHS.gov/StopThinkConnect.