Back-to-School Internet Security Tips

  • 14 August 2013
  • 0 replies
  • 7 views

Userlevel 7
It's the middle of August and you (especially if you're a to-be college student) know what that means: Back to school! But with the thrill of college, also comes the independence Freshmen need to gain as they start this vital chapter of their lives. Needless to say, with great partying comes great responsibility. And one of the main things a typical college freshman is responsible for right off the bat is their personal computer, usually in the form of a laptop that they carry with them from dorm room to class room to under the tree by the Econ building. But one thing that college students (particularly freshman) often neglect is staying secure, especially when it comes to their computers.

Neil Rubenking of PC Mag was kind enough to whip up a list of 12 back-to-school cyber-security tips to help college kids stay secure. As an internet security company dedicated to keeping our customers protected, we couldn't agree more. Here are the three tips from the list (in no particular order) that I think are especially important (as they most pertain to what we know about attacks and what we research on a day-to-day basis).
 
1. Keep Malware Out-The PC Mag article suggests a free solution, as everyone knows that the typical college student is strapped for cash. While we agree that free is much better than none, many free solutions don't offer key protective features like Identity Protection, a firewall, anti-phishing capabilities, password management, backup and sync, and mobile protection. Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete includes all of these features (and more) for optimal protection. And, it just so happens that we are currently running a special Back-to-School promotion so college kids don't have to break the bank-right now, WSAC is just $39.99 (50% off regular price)! And you can use it on up to five PC's/Macs and up to five mobile devices for a year.
 
2. Manage Your Passwords-This is another crucial protective measure that many people just don't think to take. In this day and age, pretty much everyone has numerous passwords they need to use every day to log in to a host of websites and accounts. The problem is that most passwords are not strong enough, and thus, by default, easy for a hacker to crack. The simple solution is to use a password manager (like ours), which can help generate secure passwords and encrypt your personal data on your local computer. And remember-the Password Management feature of SecureAnywhere is included in SecureAnywhere Complete, which is what this special Back to School offer is for. For a more detailed comparison of our products, click here.
 
3. Don't Be Fooled-College kids are prime targets for phishing and other scams. If you get a suspicious email offering something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That said, cybercriminals have adapted and become more and more tricky with the scams they create. Sometimes, the fake email from your bank is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. This is part of the reason why I think the aforementioned Identity Protection is crucial for everyone to have. For an unsuspecting college freshman, it can mean the difference between falling victim to a phishing attack and avoiding it.
 
Freshmen-As someone who was still in school not too long ago, I strongly encourage you to know how to stay secure and keep your computers protected. Follow the tips above and make sure to read through the full in the PC Mag article (you can find it in the aforementioned link). Stay safe online! (You can also see our back-to-school offer by clicking the picture below).
 


 
 
 
 
 

0 replies

Be the first to reply!

Reply