While stay-at-home orders in March limited activities as people remained at home in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, internet usage dramatically increased since then as people shifted to online schooling and work. Certain habits practiced online and on social media could make some people a prime target for hackers.
The majority of students in San Diego County have been distance learning for at least seven months already and knowing more people are online, hackers are taking advantage.
If you're concerned, no need to fret. There are some easy things that you can do to help make sure your whole family stays protected.
NBC 7 spoke with cybersercurity expert Nevin Markwart, who is also the Chief Information Security Officer at FutureVault.
Markwart stressed the importance of not sharing too much personal information online. The less personal information you have online, the lower your odds are of being a target.
He said constant posts of your dog on social media could clue in hackers on your password. Passwords often have pets' names in them, and clever hackers can pick up on that easily.
And, of course, you’ve heard this one before but it’s important to remember: create strong passwords and do not share it with anyone.
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If possible, it’s also best to not share electronic devices, as well.
“A lot of parents are working from home today as well," Markwart explained. "There’s a liklihood that if a child is using a parent’s device both for going to school and then maybe they’re surfing the internet, maybe they’re playing electronic games, there’s just a greater likihood that they might do something that infects their parent’s job."
Markwart also suggests always using anti-virus software, and make sure to update software when prompted.
