“Ready” is a national public service campaign that is intended to educate and empower people to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate emergencies. The website www.Ready.gov offers many resources for emergency preparedness. To avoid a cyberattack, Ready offers the following suggestions for setting up the proper controls:
- Use strong passwords that are 12 characters or longer. Use upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Change passwords monthly. Use a password manager.
- Use a stronger authentication such as a PIN or password that only you would know. Consider using a separate device that can receive a code or use a biometric scan.
- Watch for suspicious activity that asks you to do something right away, offers something that sounds too good to be true, or needs personal information.
- Check your account statements and credit reports regularly.
- Use secure Internet communications.
- Use sites that use HTTPS if you will access or provide any personal information.
- Use antivirus solutions, malware, and firewalls to block threats.
- Regularly back up your files in an encrypted file or encrypted file storage device.
- Limit the personal information you share online. Change privacy settings and do not use location features.
- Protect your home network by changing the administrative and Wi-Fi passwords regularly. When configuring your router, choose the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) setting, which is the strongest encryption option.
