A 2023 Nielsen study revealed that individuals in the U.S. spend an average of 8 hours and 34 minutes daily in front of screens—making October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the perfect time to assess your family’s online habits.
Here are five frequent pitfalls and some easy tips for steering clear of trouble!
The days of using “password123” are over. Weak passwords like this one leave your online door wide open for burglars. Cybercriminals can easily get into accounts with just a little guesswork or Googling—birthdays and kids names are easy to guess and could expose your family to hacking.
What you can do: Challenge your family to create strong passwords—think a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Utilizing a password manager can keep track of these (often hard to guess) combinations and also provide an extra layer of security.
Resource: How do Password Managers Work?
We all love sharing cute family photos or fun adventures, but oversharing can turn into a privacy nightmare. Revealing too much information—like where your kids go to school or your upcoming vacation—can leave your family vulnerable to unwanted attention.
What you can do: Talk to your family about keeping personal details private. If you’re sharing photos of kids, make sure your social media accounts are set to “private” and ensure there are no school logos or emblems on your child’s clothes or belongings in the photos you post.
Resource: How to Protect Your Personal Information on Social Media
While it’s easy to ignore the system update notifications on your phone or device, software updates often contain critical security fixes that protect against the latest threats.
What you can do: Set your devices to update automatically so you don’t have to think about it. Regular reminders can help keep everyone on the same page. You’d rather be safe than sorry!
Phishing is a scam where a hacker sends a link to you, hoping you’ll click it and compromise your information. These attempts are everywhere, and they’re getting trickier by the day.
What you can do: Teach your family to always check the sender’s email address before clicking anything. If you receive an email or text from your boss, but the “from” address is a random one, it’s a scam. If something looks fishy, it probably is.
Resource: 13 Types of Phishing Attacks You Need to Know
Apps are great, but they often collect more data than you realize. In fact, many apps are tracking your online activity to better understand your buying habits. And these companies can be hacked, making your personal information public.
What you can do: Go through your apps and extensions, deleting everything you don’t use daily. You can always redownload them when needed!
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity to empower your family with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the online world safely. By making small adjustments to everyday habits, you can significantly enhance your family’s digital security.
But you don’t have to navigate this alone. Aura is a user-friendly app designed to empower families with robust protection against identity theft and online threats. With features like real-time alerts, credit monitoring, and comprehensive identity theft insurance, Aura acts as a vigilant guardian for you and your loved ones.
In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness, we’re giving families 30 days of Aura Parental Controls* for free. Click here to redeem.
*Aura Parental Controls are designed for child online safety and are just one of the packages Aura offers. To explore other plans with identity theft protection and fraud alerts, click here.
