Security & Safety Resource Center

Parental controls on game consoles prevent children from viewing content that isn’t suitable for them and can also limit their play time. But what isn’t often mentioned is that parental controls can prevent children from accessing your payment information as well as making accidental purchases. Parental controls can be accessed in the settings menu of most modern game consoles.

A VPN’s kill switch can stop all internet activity on your device. If your VPN malfunctions or drops out, the kill switch will prevent any potentially dangerous traffic from coming through your network. In turn, your sensitive information will be kept safe until your VPN is functioning again.

There have been an increasing number of reported phishing scams via numbers in people’s area codes. Scammers call from numbers that include the first six digits of your own in an effort to get you to answer. As more people answer, the more lucrative it becomes for the scammers, so be sure to ignore numbers you don’t recognize, even if they seem like they’re from your area.

Apple Watches are popular accessories for purposes like fitness tracking, but they can also help with cybersecurity. You can unlock a Mac with an Apple Watch that’s powered on and currently on your wrist, as long as you’ve configured it in your Mac’s System Preferences. Doing so has the added benefit of requiring you to set up secure two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.

On TikTok, others will be able to discover your account if the setting “suggest your account to others” is turned on. If you are under 16, it will be turned off automatically. But if you are over 16, it is turned on automatically. If you don’t want anyone discovering your account, you can turn the option off in your privacy settings.

Overall, iOS has many built-in security and privacy protections turned on by default. There are additional features that can help shield your data from falling into the wrong hands. Under Settings –> Privacy –> Apple Advertising, you can toggle “Limit Ad Tracking” to control how much information is shared between apps.

The hardware address of your Windows 10 device can be used for tracking you as you move between Wi-Fi networks. To avoid this kind of  surveillance, toggle on the hardware randomization option in Windows 10’s Wi-Fi settings.

Any organization that isn’t your employer, the IRS or your bank probably doesn’t need to know your social security number. However, sometimes other organizations will ask for it. They may need it or they might not, and you should ask questions before agreeing to give it to them. These questions, as recommended by the Federal Trade Commission, include:

• Why are you asking for my SSN?
• How are you going to keep this information safe?
• Is there a different identifier you can use?
• Can I give you only the last four digits of my SSN?

In this scam the criminal contacts the victim offering a refund for tech support services previously rendered. The scammer asks for access to the victim’s device and instructs the victim to login to their online bank account to process a refund. As a result, the criminal gains control of the victim’s device and bank account. Be aware that legitimate customer, security, or tech support companies will not initiate unsolicited contact with individuals.

If your bank or another institution with which you have an account calls you, there’s no reason they should have to ask you for personal information like your account number. They should already have that on file and easily accessible if they were planning to contact you. If this happens, it’s likely a scam. Hang up the phone and block the number.

When you leave your computer, you don’t want someone else acquiring unauthorized access to it. Setting an automatic logoff timer ensures that it’s not exposed when you step away for an extended time. You can set it up easily on both Windows and macOS.

When using Venmo, Zelle or other mobile payment services, if you send money to the wrong person, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get it back. Even the smallest typo in the username of the recipient can result in lost money. To be extra safe, have your friend send you a payment request before you send the money. You can simply respond to the request, and you’ll know it’s going to the right recipient.

Some phones come with a feature called “Do Not Disturb,” which sends all calls from people who are not saved to your contacts directly to voicemail. This can save you from answering the phone when a scammer calls and getting swindled out of personal information. Just remember to frequently empty your voicemail inbox so you don’t miss any important calls from trustworthy sources.

You can enable your social media accounts to send you an email when there is a login from a different device. You should:

1. Enable this setting on all of your social media accounts.
2. Check your inbox for these alerts regularly.
3. Check your spam folder for these alerts in case they end up there.

Setting up a VPN on your router at home is a great idea, but you still face risk if some of your devices can’t connect to the network. VPNs have varying amounts of compatibility, so when selecting which service to opt for, go with the one that will protect your laptop, computer, smartphone and any other devices you or your family have.

Admin accounts are powerful. They extend certain permissions not accessible to other accounts on a device. The bad news is that if your device is lost, stolen or hacked, these administrator capabilities could be employed to cause a lot of damage. Think about setting up a second account for daily use, one without admin privileges.

When you download a new app onto your phone, that program often requests access to the information on your device. If you deny access, you might be limited in what you can do on the app, or you might not even be able to use it at all. For this reason, you should use discretion when downloading new apps. Avoid it whenever possible, and only download apps that you’ve heard of before and are popular. Otherwise, you could end up with malware on your device.

A scammer may reach out to you through a phone call or email and tell you they have a limited-time offer for a prepaid gift card or debit card. The offer might sound enticing — it could be a gift card worth more than they are asking you to pay. However, this is often a scam, especially if it’s from a source you’ve never heard of before. Be wary of these calls and, as a rule, only buy gift cards directly from the store that the gift card is for.

Have you ever heard the adage that if you aren’t the customer, you’re the product, well maybe in the setting of a free-to-use platform like Facebook. There may be some truth to this saying. Whether it’s a desktop or mobile app that serves you aggressive ads, or a site that exploits your compute cycles for Bitcoin mining, it’s best to consider the dangers of free software.

Using a credit monitoring service is a good way to make sure your credit is always intact. If there is suspicious activity in your line of credit, the service provider will alert you. However, according to the Federal Trade Commission, they will not alert you if:

• A person other than you makes a withdrawal from your bank account.
• Someone uses your identity to collect your tax refund.

If someone contacts you claiming to be your credit monitoring service and alerts you of either of these things, it’s likely a scam.

TikTok, like most other account-based services, gathers relevant data about your activity for research purposes. It’s always a good idea to see what kinds of information your service providers are collecting. You can get an overview of your data compilation by downloading a full report. Just go to your privacy settings and select “download your data.”

To decrease the possible damage of an attacker gaining access to your credit card information, consider opening a credit card account for use only online. Maintain a minimum credit line on the account to limit the amount of charges a possible attacker can amass against you.

If your home computer is in a high-traffic area, you will be able to easily oversee your children’s computer activity. Not only does this accessibility discourage a child from doing something they know is not allowed, it also gives you the chance to intercede if you observe a behavior that could have negative effects.

The less spam emails you receive, the safer you’ll be. You never know when you might accidentally open a link from a scammer that unleashes malware on your computer. To be safe, flag all spam emails as soon as you receive them. That will direct all future emails from that sender into your spam folder.

Use your mobile network connection. Your own mobile network connection, also known as your wireless hotspot, is generally more secure than using a public wireless network. Use this feature if you have it included in your mobile plan.

Your web browser is your principal connection to the Internet, and multiple applications may rely on your browser, or parts within your browser, to function. Many web applications try to improve your browsing experience by enabling different types of functionality, but this functionality might be needless and may leave you vulnerable to being attacked. The best approach is to adopt the highest level of security and only enable features when you require their functionality. If you decide that a site is trustworthy, you can choose to enable the functionality temporarily and then disable it once you are complete visiting the site.

Extensions are great for enhancing web browsers, but they can also create security risks. For example, Google Chrome is probably just another trusted application to your operating system and antivirus software, meaning it – and its extensions – can run code without a hitch. Extensions may be malicious, though. Try looking for unusual names, obscure publishers, and lack of/poor user reviews before downloading.

If someone gets a hold of your device and you did not log out of your Venmo, that person could send themselves money through your account. For added security, you can enable the requirement that you must enter a PIN or fingerprint ID before sending money. To enable this feature:

● Go to Settings.
● Go to Security.
● Go to PIN and Fingerprint.
● Enable a PIN or, if your phone is capable, a fingerprint ID.

Sometimes scammers will call your cell phone instead of sending emails. This is called vishing. A scammer may pretend to be a government official and tell you that you have unpaid taxes. They’ll likely then tell you that you have to pay them immediately or you will go to jail. Hang up — this is a scam. The government will only send important messages through the mail or email.

It’s a good idea to back up your contacts, photos, videos and other important data with another device or cloud-base backup service before setting off on a trip. Better safe than sorry.

In your privacy settings on SnapChat, you can decide who can see your stories as well as who can send you snaps or private messages. However, even if those accounts are limited to your approved friends list, you can still engage with non-friends if you enter a group chat with them. So, if you don’t want to receive messages from people you don’t know, check who is in a group chat before you join it. Do this by pressing and holding the group name.