Oct 11, 2019 3 min read

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It became an official observance four years ago, and is run by the National Cyber Security Alliance with the goal of helping to protect citizens from cyber attacks. The best way to protect yourself is to start taking action now. Every day, you face new threats.

One thing you can do is freeze your credit. As of Sept. 21, it is free to do in every state. This prevents hackers from using your information to open new accounts. Your files are locked and need a PIN to open. You can do this if you need to apply for a new credit source. It does not affect using any of your existing credit lines. You should do this with all three major credit bureaus, online or by phone. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion directly to do so.

Download a password manager, a software program that helps you store all of your usernames and passwords. Most can be synced on various devices so you always have your passwords with you. This software helps to use different passwords for your different accounts, and makes it much harder for hackers. Some of the more popular ones are Dashlane, LastPass and 1Pasword.

It is also important to back up your files. Experts say your files should be backed up in three places: on your device, on a cloud service and on an external hard drive. This is very important to protect against ransomware, when someone takes control of your computer and freezes access, making you pay a ransom, often in Bitcoins. Some companies have paid a ransom of more than $1 million. Having your files backed up outside of the computer helps to protect you from this risk.

It is very important to have up-to-date anti-virus software on your computer. Norton and McAfee are the two used most often. Make sure they are automatically updating all of the time. Be very careful when opening attachments on e-mail from people you are not familiar with. Sometimes, hackers invade your friends and business contacts and send links to all of their contacts. They can make it look like the e-mail is coming from a company or government agency.

The Internal Revenue Service will not send you an e-mail. In most cases, the IRS will not call you on the telephone. It sends letters by U.S. mail. The IRS will never threaten to send police to your house or ask you to pay them with gift cards.

These are things that people are often threated with by identity thieves. Hang up and do not give them information. If someone calls and asks for your SS number, do not give it out. Banks, insurance companies and government agencies already know your SS number. If you call them, you may have to give it out to prove who you are. If someone just called you and said you must call them back right away, be careful. If that individual already has you on the phone, why wouldn’t they complete the call?

Cybersecurity is a growing problem. Everyone needs to take steps to protect themselves. The time to start is now.

Gary Boatman is a Monessen-based certified financial planner and the author of “Your Financial Compass: Safe passage through the turbulent waters of taxes, income planning and market volatility.”

To submit columns on financial planning or investing, email Rick Shrum at rshrum@observer-reporter.com.