Keep this advice in mind to help protect yourself and your family from cyber threats.
Odds are you wouldn't disclose personal details, like when you're planning to go on vacation and leave your house empty, to a random stranger on the street. But many people happily post that sort of information on their social feeds for anyone to see — and if you aren't divulging your family's schedule online, your teens just might be. Review the following dos and don'ts to help you and your family stay safe in our super-connected world.
1. DO educate your family about cyber risks
Children may not understand the risks of the online world. It's up to parents to teach them the dangers of sharing photos and personal information, like vacation routines or daily schedules — information that others could use to harm them. You can also teach children that it's good practice to avoid downloading apps from obscure or untrustworthy websites. Additionally, you can dissuade them from playing games or taking online surveys that ask for personal information.
Children may not understand the risks of the online world. It's up to parents to teach them the dangers of sharing photos and personal information.
2. DO keep your personal info private
Be careful about sharing valuable personal information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card information and birth dates, in a text or email with people you don't know well or trust. If multiple methods are available to provide personal information, email or text should be your last options. Deleting emails from the "sent" folder is also a best practice for removing any sensitive data. If you are shopping online, make sure you are on a reputable site before entering any sensitive information. And use a strong password, passcode or biometric login to protect your accounts online.
3. DO consider setting up a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that encrypts your communications when you're connecting to the internet via Wi-Fi, and it can be used anywhere in the world. Setting up a VPN can be easy and affordable, but it's important to choose a VPN you can trust. Talk with a security expert to determine which is best for you. You can find one by searching for companies that specialize in cybersecurity. Be aware that you may have difficulty accessing some financial firms' websites through a VPN because some companies block VPNs as part of their anti-fraud protections. In that case, you might prefer to wait until you can access the site through a different type of secure and trusted connection.
4. DON'T leave your home network unprotected
Be sure to change the password on your router as soon as you install it. The router is the gateway to your home and touches all your connected devices, from phones to smart home gadgets. Also, don't forget to configure security and privacy settings on your devices, and invest in reputable antivirus software for your computers. Download software updates on all the programs you use — automatically if that's an option. Software companies often discover vulnerabilities before cybercriminals do and rush to fix them. The longer you wait to update your software (or operating system), the greater the chance your data will be compromised.
5. DON'T drop your guard when on the go
We're so used to using our devices everywhere that most of us don't think twice about logging on to free public Wi-Fi at the airport, coffee shop or dentist's office. Some Wi-Fi connections can't be trusted. Cybercriminals can infiltrate these systems and collect data sent through the network. That's why it's always best to be careful and connect to sites through secure connections or a VPN. Public USB charging stations can be manipulated to infect your devices with malware and pose a potential risk when traveling. Protect your devices when using public USB power stations by connecting with power-only cables and never plug an unknown storage device into your laptop or phone.
6. DON'T use easily guessed passwords
Despite repeated advice from all corners, some people still use the most basic passwords for their email, shopping and financial accounts. Or worse, they use the same password for all their online accounts, making those accounts especially vulnerable to cybercriminals.
Variety and randomness are your best bets, so if one password is discovered, your other accounts won't be at risk. Use multifactor authentication and enable biometric logins when possible. Even better, consider using a password manager, which assigns a random password to accounts. That way, you only have to remember a single master password — for the manager itself.
Stay connected, stay protected
To help keep your Merrill account information safe and secure, make sure your contact information is up to date and set up security and account alerts so we can stay in touch. Remember, if we need to reach out to you, we'll NEVER ask for personal or financial information or an access code through email, text or unsolicited calls. Visit our
security center for tips on how to recognize potential scams and learn more about how to keep your accounts safe.
Neither Bank of America nor its affiliates provide information security or information technology (IT) consulting services. This material is provided "as is," with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this material, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, quality and fitness for a particular purpose. This material should be regarded as general information on information security and IT considerations and is not intended to provide specific information security or IT advice nor is it any substitute for your own independent investigations. If you have questions regarding your particular IT system or information security concerns, please contact your IT or information security advisor.
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