October is Cybersecurity Month
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024
Use strong passwords.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, strong passwords would be it.
The long-term benefits of strong, unique passwords have been proven by CISOs,
Whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the the power and beauty of the internet,or never mind.
You did not understand how cool the internet really was until social media took over.
Don’t worry about the hackers.
Or worry, but know that worrying won’t protect you from the 2 AM data breach.
The real troubles in your digital life are the things that blindside you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday,
When your screen suddenly reads, “Your files have been encrypted.”
Trust me, when you’re staring at a ransomware attack,
you’ll wish Mary in HR had double-checked that suspicious link.
Update your software.
Even if you don’t think it does anything.
Just click “install update” before you ignore the notification for the thousandth time.
Do one thing every day that improves your cybersecurity hygiene.
Verify your two-factor authentication codes.
Don’t feel guilty if you haven’t memorised what CAPTCHA means,
but do appreciate that end-to-end encryption is your best friend.
Some of the most secure people I know didn’t learn this until their accounts got compromised.
Remember and test the backups you make.
Forget the passwords you reused.
If you succeed in avoiding data breaches,
Tell me how.
Protect your cookies.
Don’t accept every pop-up.
Maybe you’ll never get hacked,
Maybe you’ll fall victim to a ransomware attack.
Maybe you’ll carefully read every privacy policy,
Or maybe you’ll skim it and hit “agree” anyway.
Whatever you do, don’t forget to log out.
Your digital self is vulnerable after all.
Don’t read strange emails;
Don’t share your sensitive info with sketchy websites.
Be kind to your future self.
Run antivirus scans regularly.
You’ll miss these days of carefree browsing,
When your biggest worry was finding your Wi-Fi password written on a scrap of paper.
Be mindful of what you share on social media.
Don’t overshare.
Don’t think that a few likes and comments mean the internet loves you.
They could be bots.
Encrypt your data, even if you don’t think it’s valuable.
One day, you’ll look back at those old messages and wonder why you didn’t secure them better.
Understand that cybersecurity is ever-changing
when in doubt, enable two-factor authentication
Be cautious of what you download.
Don’t run attachments in unsolicited emails,
Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re compromised.
But in the end, you can minimize the damage with vigilance and a good recovery plan.
But trust me on the strong passwords.
Parody of the Mary Smich article and Baz Luhrmann son