Digital Identity

  When Was the Last Time You Changed Your Wi-Fi Password? Think about how many people come into your space: friends, family, service technicians, babysitters, house cleaners, or guests. Many home routers still use the default password printed right on the device, which means anyone who can see that label can connect to your network. Once connected, they may gain access to your work laptop, personal devices, or sensitive information. Take a few minutes to change your Wi-Fi password to something strong and unique, and share it only with people you trust. If you’re not sure how to update it, your internet service provider’s website or help desk can walk you through the steps. A small change can make a big difference in protecting your home and work life.

  👋 Welcome to Digital Identity! Watch Out for Email Autocomplete Ever noticed how when you start typing an email address, your email app jumps in to finish the job? Handy, right? But watch out—this nifty shortcut can sometimes set you up for a whoops moment. Like when you’re emailing something sensitive and oops… it ends up going to the wrong person because your email thought it knew better. Talk about an “Oh no” moment! Always stay vigilant with emails and make sure they are going to their intended audience!

  👋 Welcome to Digital Identity! Scams, Scams, and More Scams Phishing, a form of social engineering using email, is a prevalent way bad actors try to steal credentials and other sensitive information from unsuspecting recipients. Be cautious of every email, and visit the Office of Cybersecurity’s  Phishing webpage  and  Email Phishing page  for information on how to spot these scams.  What we’ve seen in  emails are “urgent” scams telling you that you have 24 hours to change your password or be locked out of an account, gift card scams pretending to be from college deans or department heads, and too-good-to-be-true part-time job opportunities. 

   👋 Welcome to Digital Identity! Don’t Just Throw the Old Phone Away Getting a new phone is exciting. Transferring pictures, data, and apps can be time-consuming and a little frustrating. However, don’t spend all your time on the new device. Your old one needs some attention too. You need to remove all of that personal information from that device before you get rid of it. Before you say goodbye to your old phone, follow these steps: Back It Up:  Copy all the important stuff – photos, contacts, and messages – to your computer or a cloud storage service. This way, you won’t lose anything precious. Delete, Delete, Delete:  Go through your phone and delete anything you don’t want to keep. This includes apps, photos, messages, and anything else that might contain personal information. Factory Reset:  The final step is to perform a factory reset. This wipes your phone clean, removing all your data and settings.

   👋 Welcome to Digital Identity! Don’t Put Passwords on Sticky Notes! While it may seem convenient to place passwords in easily accessible locations, such as hiding a sticky note under your keyboard, this practice does not adequately mitigate the risk of someone finding and using that password. To enhance security, consider utilizing password managers, which are available in both free and paid versions. These tools can securely store and manage all your passwords in one safe location, eliminating the need for insecure sticky notes.

  👋 Welcome to Digital Identity! Exercise Caution When Selecting Apps While numerous applications are designed to simplify daily tasks, it is essential to exercise caution when selecting which ones to use,  Many free applications lack the necessary security controls required for handling specific data classification levels. As with social media applications, security considerations must be a primary factor in your decision-making process when choosing any application.