Student Tribune
Belated Happy Safer Internet Day!
Did you know that Tuesday February 9 was Safer Internet Day? Started as an
initiative in Europe in 2004, it is now celebrated in approximately 170
countries worldwide. The theme this year is that everyone
plays an important role in making the Internet better. The US theme is
“The internet starts with I (what can I do) and ends with T (we are all
in this together).”
We have a whole year until next year’s Safer Internet Day to focus on
what we can and should do to make the Internet better. ConnectSafely, a
California-based nonprofit that is the US host of Safer Internet Day suggests these
actions:
- Share responsibly so as to not spread false information
- Protect accounts and devices
KnowBe4 lists these as the three best things
you can do to improve your computer security:
- Don’t get social engineered – Think before you
click!
- Patch Your Software – Update to newer versions when they are
available.
- Use Different Passwords between sites and services - An
8-character password with some complexity likely blocks 95% of all password
attacks; but it is risky if you share that password among different websites
and services. Once a hacker gets your password, they can try it at other sites.
Sadly, according to KnowBe4: “The average person, however, has three to
19 passwords that they split up among 170+ websites, services, and
domains.”
Simple things that we can all do to improve the Internet and make it safer
for us all!
Penwarden, Ann
Computing & Information Technology Services
02/12/2021