The Secret(s) To Cybersecurity
Clean & Safe
You are probably aware by now, TriStar Bn Cleaning is serious about keeping your family clean & safe. We work hard to keep your trash bins clean, and recently, we’ve teamed up with Scott Augenbaum, a retired special agent of the FBI and good friend of ours, to give you all the information you need to keep personal information out of your trash can and safe from bad actors!
Scott’s book — The Secret To Cybersecurity: A Simple Plan To Protect Your Family And Business From Cybercrime — is a common sense guide to protect your family from cybercriminals. The book opens with what he calls ‘The Four Truths’:
• Truth One: Nobody expects to become a victim.
• Truth Two: You’re probably not getting your money back.
• Truth Three: The bad guys probably aren’t getting arrested.
• Truth Four: A majority of cybercrime can be prevented.
Truth Four is worth repeating: A majority of cybercrime can in fact be prevented.
While we don't want to spoil the book, we think these quick tips are worth sharing as they can truly prevent you from becoming the next cybercrime victim:
Think Before You Click. Become a human firewall and examine every email you receive. Understand that bad guys desperately want you to click a link or open an attachment in an email. Unless you’ve thoroughly validated its authenticity, don’t click on it.
Two-Factor Authentication. Realize that the bad guys want to use your email account as a weapon to attack your family, friends, work colleagues, and others. Only use email providers that offer two-factor authentication (2FA), such as Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud. (what’s 2FA and how to turn it on in less than 5 minutes)
Password Safety. Do not use the same username and password for mission-critical accounts. This includes email, social media, cell phones, banking, and e-commerce. Never disclose your username and passwords to someone else, even if it’s a family member. While a family member won’t want to do you harm, someone who steals from them might gain access to your credentials.
Social Media Safety. Install 2FA on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Only open links such as friend requests on Facebook and connection requests on LinkedIn through the actual apps. Don’t click on the links that are sent through emails or messages directly to your phone.
Work-From-Home Nightmares. Avoid stay-at-home job descriptions that include re-shipping, accounts receivable, and billing clerk. Never accept a position that requires depositing money into your bank account and then wiring it to different accounts. In nearly every case, you’ll be laundering stolen money for the bad guys. Never provide credentials of any kind, such as bank account information, Social Security number, or any other personally identifiable information in response to a recruiting email.
Keeping Kids Safe. Always be aware of what your children are doing online, including what they’re searching for and which websites they’re visiting. Children should be educated about never providing their name, address, date of birth, or telephone numbers to anyone on the Internet. Teach your kids that anything they write and post on the Internet, including tweets, comments, photographs, and videos, is probably going to stay online forever.
Elder Scams. Do not give remote control of your computer to a salesperson or technicians who calls you unannounced. If you receive an urgent or unscheduled call from someone who claims to be tech support, hang up the phone. Ninety-nine out of one hundred times, it’s going to be a scammer. If you receive a call from someone offering you a refund on an antivirus (or other) software subscription, hang up the phone. Do not, under any circumstances, provide them with a credit card number or bank account and routing numbers. It’s a scam, and they’re going to steal your money.
These tips barely scratch the surface of Scott’s advice on each topic — but they’re a good starting point until you have your own copy of The Secret To Cybersecurity.
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TriStar Bin Cleaning offers solutions to clean, sanitize and disinfect your garbage cans and recycling bins. Our custom-built bin cleaning truck accomplishes a level of safety in just seconds that is simply not possible when using household cleaners and disinfectants. Our environmentally friendly process safely kills more than 99.999% of the harmful germs and bacteria living in your garbage cans without using hazardous cleaning agents.
TriStar Bin Cleaning has cleaning options to fit every schedule and every budget. For more information on TriStar Bin Cleaning's services, please visit the How it Works page. To make sure your bins are clean & safe, Book Now!
